Accident claims firm boss invented crash to buy private number plate

 The director of an accident claims company has been fined after inventing a road accident in an attempt to trace the owner of a private number plate that he wanted to buy.

Miles Savory, a director at Accident Claims Handlers Ltd in Bristol, filed official documents to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) claiming that he had been involved in a collision and needed the identity of the car owner.

The Information Commissioner’s Office said that the owner of that car later received a letter from Mr Savory offering to buy his registration plate, which reads W1 DOW.

The owner, who lived in Huddersfield, W Yorks, subsequently complained to the DVLA after it was confirmed by the police that the vehicle in question had not been in the area at the time of the alleged crash.

This prompted an internal investigation that revealed what Mr Savory had done.

After pleading guilty to obtaining personal data at Bristol magistrates’ court, the 40-year-old was fined £335 and ordered to pay £364.08 in costs, as well as a victim surcharge of £33.

Steve Eckersley, the ICO head of enforcement, said: “This was an unusual case in many ways, but one which demonstrates the lengths some people will go to in order to get hold of personal information.”