A solicitor who brought false claims about pothole damage to his car has been sentenced in court.
Alykhaan Nourani was found guilty of four counts of fraud relating to false vehicle damage claims. He was given an eight-month suspended sentence and ordered to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work.
According to Stoke-on-Trent City Council, Nourani submitted claims for damage caused by potholes in November 2019 and then in April 2021.
But an internal insurance officer with the council had noticed anomalies on the second claim with an invoice Nourani provided from a local dealership. A similar pattern was found with the invoice for the first claim: the council’s corporate fraud team investigated and found the claims then to be false.
Nourani was found guilty by unanimous verdict at Hanley Crown Court in February and sentenced last week. As well as the suspended jail term, he was ordered to pay £30,000 costs as well the original £874 for the fraudulent invoice.
The judge highlighted Nourani’s high level of culpability, stating that his role as a solicitor dealing with personal injury claims was an aggravating factor.
The council confirmed that Nourani, who is from Manchester, has been referred to the Solicitors Regulation Authority. He has been a solicitor since 2014 and is currently subject to controls on his practising certificate preventing him from holding client money and needing approval from the SRA to work for any law firm. When those conditions were imposed in 2023 he was working for Greater Manchester firm Simcox Oliver. That firm has since been closed down by the SRA on the basis of suspected dishonesty by its manager.
Councillor Amjid Wazir OBE, cabinet member for city pride, enforcement and sustainability at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: ‘Let this be a clear warning – we will not tolerate fraud in this city. We have robust checks in place to protect taxpayers’ money and we will pursue fraudsters through the courts whenever necessary.’
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