A former policeman who claimed thousands in compensation for car crash injuries could now face jail — after being caught on film taking part in a professional cage fight just days later.
Valerijs Trifonovs, 31, said his injuries from the smash on the King’s Road in May 2010 were so bad he could not look after himself or his son.
But his damages bid was thrown out by a judge in May after he was shown a video of Trifonovs, an ex-bouncer and bodyguard, in a professional cage fight in Liverpool — 13 days after the accident.
Judge Alastair Hammerton, sitting at Bow County Court ruled that Trifonovs’s bid for compensation was “a case of fraud,” the High Court heard.
Dickon Edwards, defending, insisted participation in the cage fight was not conclusive evidence of fraud.
But in a rare move, Judge Patrick Moloney QC has opened the way for insurers to pursue Trifonovs for alleged contempt of court.
The judge said having seen a DVD of the fight, he believed the insurers had made “a sufficiently strong case” to proceed.
Trifonovs, of Potters Bar, faces a full contempt of court hearing.
