Court hears same address used in six road crash claims

Linda Baltcepure from Swords did not show up in court

A judge has heard that the Dublin address used by a woman claiming €60,000 damages for personal injuries allegedly sustained in a car crash had been used in five other road crash claims in a 14-month period.

Judge John O'Connor heard in the Circuit Civil Court that Linda Baltcepure (32) of Wikeford Hall, Applewood, Swords, Co Dublin, had not attended court and had withdrawn her damages claim against Zurich Insurance customer Jessica Kelly.

Barrister Paul McMorrow, counsel for Ms Kelly and Zurich, said he had the greatest concern that fraud of a contrived nature was going to have been brought before the court if Ms Baltcepure had shown up in court.

Mr McMorrow, who appeared with David Culleton of DAC Beachcroft Solicitors, told Judge O'Connor that Ms Baltcepure's two-bedroom property, had been used as the address in six car crash claims between January 2015 and April 2016.

He said Ms Baltcepure had claimed she was the front seat passenger in a car driven by Nerijus Gaybys and that while they had stopped at Corkagh Park roundabout near Baldonnel, Co Dublin, they had been rear-ended by Ms Kelly's car on 20 April 2016.

Mr McMorrow told the court that Mr Gaybys had been the driver in four different car accidents, out of which there had been 19 claims.

He said another passenger, known only to Ms Baltcepure as "Andrei", had been picked up by Mr Gaybys on the night of the accident.

He said this man had been involved in a separate rear-ending accident on another date for which he had been awarded damages.

Ms Baltcepure had claimed in her civil bill she suffered whiplash injuries in the accident and had been assessed at the Primahealth Medical Centre in Swords, Co Dublin. She had also claimed she had suffered shock.

Mr McMorrow told the court that Ms Baltcepure's address had been used in a number of almost identical claims where the claimants had been rear-ended after their brakes had been slammed on. He said overall there had been "an astonishing number" of similar applications for damages claims.

The court heard that Ms Baltcepure had not shown up to court today to explain why she had withdrawn her case.

Mr McMorrow said that Zurich had been assisted by claims managers in a number of other insurance companies in its investigation into Ms Baltcepure's claim.

Judge O'Connor said that although he had dismissed a number of other damages clams in the last few weeks because claimants had been unable to prove their cases, Ms Baltcepure's claim had been one of the most shocking he had seen.

The judge said he would leave the matter to be investigated by gardaí and that he did not want to interfere with the investigation by saying too much.

Judge O'Connor said it was a matter for the Director of Public Prosecutions and said he did not wish to derail any potential garda investigation and dismissed Ms Baltcepure's claim, awarding legal costs against her.