A Canberra couple has been sentenced for staging a car accident to fraudulently claim insurance, with a judge citing greed as the motive. Rabea Fares, 48, and Lina Faris, 44, were found guilty of insurance fraud by an ACT Supreme Court jury.
The court heard that on the day of the crash, a BMW struck the couple's Audi, causing significant damage. However, an observant driver noticed the Audi driving slowly and stopping before the BMW, also traveling below the speed limit, hit it from behind.
Acting Justice Peter Berman noted that the drivers initially denied knowing each other, but phone records revealed a list of calls between them. Investigators also found that one car had pre-existing defects and the second driver had insured his car for nearly $100,000 more than he paid for it.
The judge said the scheme unraveled due to 'bad luck, bad planning,' and a lack of understanding of forensic investigation. If successful, the couple would have netted significant sums from car and personal injury claims.
Lawyers for the pair argued for leniency due to the impact on their children, but the judge called this argument 'distasteful.' He sentenced both to two years in jail, but allowed Faris to serve her time on an intensive corrections order to care for the children. Fares will spend a year in jail before being eligible for parole.
