A fraudster who made false insurance claims to Hertfordshire County Council about potholes damaging her Porsche has been sentenced.

Carly Andrews, aged 26 from Hemel Hempstead, was accused of submitting a fake invoice for work to support her damage claim against the council in March 2019.

She made a claim stating that her Porsche Cayenne was damaged by a pothole at Cherry Tree Lane, Hemel Hempstead.

An invoice falsely appearing to be from a local garage for the damage, and an eBay screenshot of Alloy Wheels, was then sent to the county council to claim a £1,200 pay out.

County council staff became suspicious of the invoice and referred it to the Hertfordshire Shared Anti-Fraud Service to investigate.

The investigation revealed that her vehicle had not been repaired at the garage as she had claimed, and when interviewed admitted she had submitted a false claim and had falsified the documents.

As a result, her claim was withdrawn and no payments were made.

She appeared at St Albans Magistrates Court and pleaded guilty to one charge of fraud by false representation on March 31 this year.

She was sentenced to four weeks in custody, suspended for 12 months and also sentenced to 20 days of Rehabilitation Activity Requirement.

The fraudster was also ordered to pay £2,356.19 in costs and a £115 victim surcharge.

Scott Crudgington, Director of Resources at Hertfordshire County Council said: “Ms Andrews’ actions were unacceptable and constitute a crime which the county council takes seriously.

“The time taken to assess her claim could have been spent more effectively on addressing valid claims from our residents.

“Our team did a fantastic job of flagging the inconsistencies amongst Ms Andrews’ claim and we hope this case will serve as a reminder to others that we will always remain vigilant in cases which give us cause for suspicion.”