A leading insurer has secured the first known successful ­prosecution of a claimant who completely fabricated a car accident.

Liverpool Victoria, which uses the trademark LV=, brought ­contempt proceedings against individuals who had reported a crash in Birmingham in 2008 and failed to attend court after the insurer established falsification. The High Court last week jailed husband and wife Faisal Rauf and Jasmina Bashir, the supposed driver, for six weeks. Bashir’s parents, Mohammed Bashir and Kaneez Acktar, received suspended sentences.

In his summary, Sir John Thomas, president of the Queen’s Bench Division, said their conduct ‘strikes at the very heart of our justice system’ and harmed everyone in the UK with an insurance policy.

Martin Milliner, technical claims director for LV=, said: ‘While the defendants in this case admitted their guilt, we felt it was important to continue with proceedings against them to deter others from this crime.’

Suspicions had been raised about the claimed three-vehicle accident when it emerged there were multiple passengers with minor injuries, no police involvement and inconsistent vehicle damage.