Police stop Leeds man in the £18,000 VW Golf he claimed had been stolen

Nahman Mohammed, of Easterly Avenue, Gipton, had made £18,000 after telling police and his insurer that his Volkswagen Golf had been stolen from his driveway back in March 2021.

A judge told Mohammed he was motivated by “pure greed”.

On March 15, 2021, Mohammed reported to the police that his Volkswagen Golf had been stolen from his driveway. He also made a claim to his insurer that the car, which he had purchased on finance, had been stolen.

The court heard the insurer was suspicious, as he had told them the vehicle only had one key, and had even sent him a “fraud warning” during the process.

Despite this, Mohammed had received just over £18,000 to compensate him for the car.

Later that year, Mohammed was stopped in his car by police. It was later revealed the car he was driving was the VW Golf he had claimed was stolen months earlier. After seizing the car, police found he was driving with false licence plates, and that the genuine plates had been hidden in the car boot.

Following this, Mohammed’s insurer launched a compensation claim for £1,719, in order to cover recovery and storage of the vehicle.

Mohammed had pleaded guilty to a count of fraud.

Mitigating for Mohammed, Catherine Silverton told the court: “He takes full responsibility.

"He said it was the most stupid thing he has ever done or will ever do.

"He has a job starting next week as a taxi driver.”

Sentencing Mohammed, Judge Simon Batiste said: “What caused you to report your car stolen and make a claim against it is difficult to understand, beyond it being pure greed.

"You were working at the time and you were not in heavy debt.

"This was a well-thought-through sophisticated fraud which took a sustained period of time to be successful.

"Leeds City Council ought to be aware of this conviction and I don’t know whether you will be able to work as a taxi driver or not."

Judge Batiste sentenced Mohammed to 12 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, as well as 10 days rehabilitation and 200 hours unpaid work.