A gang of criminals are to claim compensation for whiplash after their prison vans crashed into each other on the way to a murder trial.
The trio are in line to pocket up to £2,500 each in taxpayers’ cash even though none of them were admitted to hospital with any injuries.
As well as ‘whiplash’, they are said to be claiming for ‘hurt feelings’ because they wrongly thought the van was under attack from gangland rivals
The claims – made by three defendants in the Dale Cregan trial – were dubbed ‘ridiculous’ and ‘an insult’ by MPs last night.
It is also understood that up to 12 prison officers are planning to make compensations claims in connection with the incident, even though only four were admitted to hospital.
Mrs Patel added it was ‘wrong’ for the prison staff to follow suit and make their own claims for the incident.
Damian Gorman, 38, Francis Dixon, 37, and Ryan Hadfield, 29, were on their way to be tried for murder when two prison vans carrying nine defendants collided
The two vans, one of which contained Dale Cregan, the killer of Police Constables Nicola Hughes and Fiona Bone, were travelling along the M6 to Preston Crown Court when they shunted one another on May 24.
The accident caused damage to both prison vans and minor damage to a police car but Cregan was not injured.
Sources say Gorman, Dixon and Hadfield are going to claim for whiplash injuries while other prisoners in the vans are going to launch action for damages saying they thought the vans were under attack.
A prison source said: ‘All the cons are going to claim and about 12 prison staff.’
'The prisoners were said to want compensation for ‘fearing for their safety’.
In April, Justice Secretary Chris Grayling announced he would bar prisoners from claiming legal aid to fund complaints and compensation claims against the criminal justice system.
But it is thought these latest claims will come in before the new rules are enforced.
Philip Davies MP for Shipley said: ‘I think most right-minded people would see that it’s a vexatious ridiculous claim and it shouldn’t even be considered as far as I’m concerned.’
Yesterday Gorman was convicted of the gangland murder of Mark Short, 23, and jailed for a minimum of 33 years.
Dixon, who was released on licence after receiving a life sentence for armed robbery, was acquitted of the murder of David Short, 46. Hadfield, who had previous convictions for money laundering, was acquitted of the murder of Mark Short.
A Prison Service spokesman said: ‘We robustly defend all cases as far as the evidence allows.’
Last month it emerged that half of all whiplash claims from car crashes, which typically lead to £2,500 compensation, are fraudulent. It has been suggested that makes it a £1billion-a-year scam.
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