So, with the market being a lucrative one, there is clearly a need for firms to find people who they can assist. This is where the adverts come in but there has to be easier ways to initiate contact with people who have been affected by an injury. There certainly are easier ways but there is no guarantee that these easier ways are legal and two people have been jailed for acting in a way that was of benefit to solicitor firms but in complete disregard for everyone else.
A former police officer, Sugra Hanif, who was a constable for the Thames Valley Police, and her lover Raza Khan were sent to jail at the crown court in Winchester. Hanif received a sentence of three and a half years while Khan received a three year sentence. The two of them were found guilty of conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office. Their activity revolved around stealing the details of people who had been involved in an accident and then selling these details to a solicitor form. Their criminal activities began in January 2011 and if continues, could have seen the couple earn considerably large sums of money.
There was a large demand for this sort of data
Hanif was able to gain access to the command and control room in his local police office and here she would be able to obtain the details of people who were involved in road accidents. This information would also contain the unique reference number, the URN, which is essential when making claims.The information was passed on to Mr Khan who worked with his wife to sell the data. The duo would then take this information and attempt to sell this information to solicitors who would pay a referral fee. The duo set up a management company for their activities; such was the scale of the work that they were undertaken. The referral fee would command a price between £600 and £800 and in total the duo earned £26,400. This was over an 11 month period and there were a total of 2,456 case details stolen throughout their fraudulent activity.
Not everyone on trial was found guilty
Also on trial was the wife of Khan, Paramjeet Kaur, who was facing the same charges but the jury couldn’t come to a verdict in this case. In her defence, Hanif stated that she was being forced to carry out this action under pressure from Khan whereas Kaur and Khan both stated that they were unaware that the information and data was of an illegal nature. Hanif has also been dismissed from her role with the police and this was confirmed after the finding of guilt was announced at the court. The official statement released by the Thames Valley police stated that this was a large case of corruption and that there was no other option but to dismiss the former officer.Given that so many people have been bothered by firms and companies asking them do they need representation for accidents claims, this is not an activity that is likely to win solicitors many new friends in the public eye. It is important that the people responsible for stealing and selling the data have been rightly punished but many will think that the buying firms should face some form of censure or punishment as well. After all, it is not very likely that a solicitor firm is going to be unaware of the contentious nature of this data and yet there appeared to be a market for this style of information.
It is important that solicitor firms offer a strong service and provide as much assistance to clients as possible but this doesn’t mean that there is a need to break the law while doing so.
Andrew Reilly is a freelance writer with a focus on news stories and consumer interest articles. He has been writing professional for 8 years but has been writing for as long as he can care to remember. When Andrew isn't sat behind a laptop or researching a story, he will be found watching a gig or a game of football.
