Periodic detention for insurance fraud

Press, 26 July 1983, Page 6

Periodic detention for insurance fraud

Accepting that the offence s was not “grossly serious,” t Judge Pain imposed a six c month term of periodic de- t tention on a man, aged 35, ( who appeared in the District Court yesterday for c sentence for fraudulently 1 obtaining $4991 from the t State Insurance Company. 5 A jury had earlier found Paul Anthony Powell, a con- i tractor, also known as Paul 1 Michael Jones, guilty of a f charge of making false in- ; surance claims for household contents after a fire on ( October 2 badly damaged a ( Jervois Street house he . owned. j Powell had claimed that household contents worth . $14,470 were his own property, but the Crown (Mr D. J. L. Saunders) had con- J tended that the defendant had made exaggerated ' claims on valuations of pro- 1 perty, and of the extent of I his own loss. 1 Counsel, Mr D. I. Jones, ’

said Powell still maintained he was innocent, but even on the facts found proved by the jury it was not a serious case of false pretences. Powell had not made the claims for his own benefit, but on the behalf of his tenant, Mr David Edgeworth. He said the amount of money involved was not large and that Powell had been entitled to nearly the amount he obtained. Judge Pain agreed that the defendant had been entitled to some insurance payment, but it would have been less than $4991. Imposing the six month term of periodic detention, the Judge said the facts of the case did not put it in the “grossly serious” category, but added that the conviction was more serious for the defendant because he had been previously convicted on a fraud charge.