Man facing jail over wrist fraud

David Ribchester, 31, said he could not drive, play the drums or pick up his daughter.

But insurance investigators filmed him training at a local rugby club and driving himself around.

Ribchester, of the John F Kennedy estate, Washington, Tyne and Wear, pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to fraud by false representation. He was bailed to June 22 for sentencing.

Judge Nicholas Cooke warned he was thinking of sending him to jail.

Judge Cooke said: “Unfortunately, offending of this type is a big problem. It means I have to deal with it severely. It is the type of offending which is causing a great deal of problems.”

Ribchester injured both wrists after a ladder came away from a refrigerated lorry in 2006 whilst he was working as an engineer for Schmitz Cargobull in Durham.

He would have been entitled to between £50,000 to £250,000 but put in an exaggerated claim saying his injuries had greatly affected his life.