Wannabe fraudster, 33, who tried to claim £74,000 after lorry smashed into his Porsche is caught out... because dashcam snapped him 'hiding in bushes'

Daily Mail​

09-07-2025

A wannabe fraudster's £74,000 claim has been foiled after footage shows he was not inside his luxury Porsche when it was hit by a lorry - but instead seemingly hiding in the bushes.
Terell Brooks, a 33-year-old account manager from Romford, claimed he was sat in the £81,000 car at the time of impact and suffered injuries as a result.
However, dashcam footage shows Mr Brooks had parked his Porsche 911 Carrera GTS on the edge of the road on the A13 in Essex on August 19, 2022, when a lorry collided with the vehicle.
His claim included £63,435 for alleged damage to the Porsche, £5,000 for personal injury, £2,400 for medical treatment, and a further £3,374 for loss of earnings.
But the dashcam footage from the lorry revealed a different story.
The video clearly shows the Porsche parked and unoccupied, with Mr Brooks visible several metres away in bushes behind a roadside barrier.
It is unclear why he had exited the vehicle, but the footage confirmed he was not inside at the time of the incident.
After the footage was put to Mr Brooks' solicitors, they withdrew from the case.
Clyde & Co, representing AXA UK who insured the lorry, filed an Amended Defence stating the claim was 'founded on a false premise'.
They asserted that both Mr Brooks and an alleged passenger knowingly gave false accounts to insurers, legal representatives, and medical professionals.
Mr Brooks subsequently discontinued his claim and agreed to pay AXA's legal costs of £4,000.
He signed a Tomlin Order formally admitting his claim was dishonest, confirming he was not in the vehicle at the time of the collision.
Deborah Talbot, AXA claims operations manager, said: 'This case highlights how technology is helping us to fight claims fraud.
'The dashcam footage provided clear evidence that Mr Brooks wasn't in the car at the time of the collision, avoiding a potentially costly and lengthy court hearing.'
Damian Rourke, partner at Clyde & Co, added: 'Mr Brooks claimed he was sitting in his Porsche, belted up and injured.
'The dashcam showed him in the bushes.
'We still don't know what he was doing there – but we do know he wasn't in the car. His story fell apart the moment the truth came to light.
'In every sense, the claim was caught short.'