A dangerous 'Crash for Cash' fraudster pulled sharply across two lanes of the M62 to deliberately cause a three-vehicle smash - before trying to pin his unsafe driving on a fault with his car.
In March 2017, Ejiofor Jovita Chijoke, also known as Ejiofor Chijoke Jovita, was driving along the M62, darting from lane to lane on the major motorway in a black Mercedes.
In actions caught on dash cam footage, the 37-year-old could be seen suddenly swerving across two lanes before braking sharply in front of a Renault van.
The van driver's quick reactions saw him slam on his brakes, narrowly missing Chijoke’s trap, but the 44 tonne lorry behind could not stop as quickly, smashing into the back of the van, which then hit the Mercedes.
All three drivers exchanged details at the scene, with Chijoke providing an address in Bristol as his home, despite living nearly 180 miles away in Oldham at the time.
Two weeks later, Chijoke made an insurance claim to AXA for whiplash, stating the van driver had ploughed into the back of his vehicle.
He also claimed his car had been written-off, with the damage mounting up past it's £5,900 value.
But the other two drivers both said Chijoke deliberately caused the collision by slamming on his brakes for no apparent reason.
Dashcam footage from the lorry was released by the City of London Police on Friday, May 7, and captured Chijoke’s dangerous driving ahead of the crash, footage that showed the accident was intentional.
After receiving a copy of the footage, Chijoke’s solicitors withdrew his insurance claim.
AXA then passed the case to the City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED) for investigation.
After he was arrested, Chijoke gave police a number of fake addresses to stop officers searching his home, before eventually giving the correct address in Oldham.
When interviewed by officers and shown the dash cam footage, Chijoke, now of Bolton, tried to put his erratic driving down to a fault with the car - saying he had not intended to cause the crash.
But he later dropped his story and pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and fraud by false representation at Manchester Crown Court.
Last Wednesday, May 5, Chijoke was sentenced to 150 hours of unpaid work, subject to an 18-month community order, banned from driving for a year, and made to take an extended retest once his ban is finished.
Detective Constable Haywood, of the City of London’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department, said: "This case is a prime example of how 'Crash for Cash' fraudsters have no consideration for the safety of the innocent road users that they target.
"Fortunately in this case, the drivers walked away unscathed and with just the burden of damaged vehicles.
"However, it is far too easy to imagine how perilous the collision could have been, and this would have been entirely down to Chijoke’s selfishness and greed.
"Thank you to the victims and witnesses who assisted the investigation."
