Fraudster left with £250,000 bill after false tinnitus claim

AN insurance cheat who made up a "cock and bull story" about tripping on a pavement has been left with a £250,000 court bill and a suspended jail sentence.

- Paul Keogh

Alan Bills, 74, claimed he suffered crippling tinnitus after a tree branch poked him in the ear when he fell over slabs, which he said had been broken by the tree's roots.

He also said he had to use a walking stick after the accident, which meant he had to turn down a highly-paid job as a civil engineer.

Bills tried to sue a housing association for more than £250,000.

Contempt

But he later abandoned his claim and a judge then declared him "fundamentally dishonest" and ordered him to pay lawyers' bills, estimated at nearly £250,000.

And yesterday Bills was handed an eight-month suspended jail term for contempt after insurance company Zurich took him to the High Court.