Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
DJ jailed for fake £837k injury claim
A DJ who exaggerated injuries to defraud the NHS of £837,000 has been jailed.
Sandip Singh Atwal, 33, received negligent treatment for two fractured fingers and a cut lip after being attacked in 2008.
Calderdale and Huddersfield hospital trust admitted liability and offered him £30,000.
Atwal, also a taxi driver, demanded £837,109 for future loss of earnings and care as he was unable to work. But surveillance exposed him as a courier and social media posts revealed his DJ gigs.
In what is believed the first case of its kind, 14 contempt of court allegations brought by the trust, were proved. Atwal, from Birmingham, was jailed for three months by the High Court in London yesterday. database Raildar. Govia Thameslink’s Brighton main line service was worst hit with 5,502 disruptions.
Then came Northern Rail with 4,416, Southern with 1,505, Great Northern with 1,021 and Gatwick Express at 138.
Last night Northern announced it will remove 165 trains a day – 6% of its total – from Monday until the end of July.
Boss David Brown apologised for the “unacceptable situation”, adding: “We are absolutely committed to resolving the service issues and the interim plan will help ensure we start to get back on track.” The country-wide disruption was dubbed a “complete shambles” by Lilian Greenwood, head of the Commons Transport Select Committee.
She will ask MPS to review the situation, which may lead to a full inquiry.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said Transport Secretary Chris Grayling “needs to take personal responsibility and set a deadline by which services will be brought back up to an acceptable standard”. Rail firms that fail
Thameslink Northern Rail Southern Gatwick Express Great Northern 5,502 4,416 1,505 138 1,021
to do so within days should face losing their franchise, Mr Burnham said.
He added: “The case for renationalisation has been well and truly made.”
The timetable overhaul started on May 20 with seven times more changes than the usual twice-yearly updates.
One commuter, Lynda Mcintosh, 52, – who pays £1,800 a year for her season ticket between Chorley and Manchester – was offered just 1p compensation after submitting 13 refund claims to Northern Rail. It blamed “an error in the system” and apologised.
More disruption is due as RMT members on Greater Anglia walk out on June 16 and 23 in the continuing row over the role of guards.
RMT chief Mick Cash said: “The fight for a safe and accessible railway for all continues.”