A Scots footballer scored a hat-trick and was awarded player of the week just hours after claiming to have suffered whiplash in a car crash.
Arbroath star Robert 'Bobby' Linn has been forced to drop his claim after a specialist investigations team found extensive social media footage and press reporting of the 36-year-old playing for the then Scottish League One leaders.
Just hours before, on September 15 2018, Linn was driving his vehicle on the exit road from Tesco Extra in Dundee when another car exited a petrol station and collided with his vehicle.
The other driver admitted liability but said the collision was so minor Linn couldn't have been hurt.
Linn, who worked as a binman, produced a medical report and lodged pleadings in court which stated that he had suffered soft tissue injuries to his neck with the pain and restrictions having lasted for a month.
His occupation as a binman was recorded, but in every document produced Linn omitted to mention that he was also a footballer and had continued to play without restriction.
He was caught out when Horwich Farrelly found out he starred for Arbroath in their 3-1 Angus Derby win over Forfar Athletic just hours after the accident.
Not only had he played for the club that day, but he had scored a hat-trick and was awarded SPFL Player of the Week for his performance during the game.
Footage posted on social media showed Linn netting a stunning free-kick in the match before running off celebrating.
In an interview after the game Linn was all smiles as he boasted that he "felt he could score every week at the moment".
He went on to play a further four matches during the period he was allegedly suffering from his injuries - and he also hit the back of the net in a trip to Raith Rovers on October 6, 2018.
Despite this, the action was not dismissed at the outset and was continued with for 15 months before Linn abandoned his claim with the prospect of having to give evidence in court under oath looming.
The striker also agreed to pay the defendant's full legal fees.
Steven Smart, Partner at Horwich Farrelly, added: "In the English and Welsh courts, such behaviour is called fundamental dishonesty and the claim would have been dismissed at an early stage.
"Despite a clear decision to withhold information from the court to secure payment for an, at best, highly dubious claim, this action was dragged out until the eve of a civil trial
"Fortunately for the policyholder who would have been impacted, Aviva's robust counter-fraud stance and partnership with Horwich Farrelly led to my outstanding colleagues in our investigations and legal teams maintaining a successful defence.
"The just outcome was eventually reached, albeit at unnecessary cost and wasted court time."
Rob Lee, Fraud Prevention Director at Aviva, said: "Mr Linn's bogus claim highlights the importance of the whiplash reforms which Aviva championed and which were brought in last year.
"These new rules should help to reduce the incidence of such flagrant exaggeration of injuries for personal gain.
"We will not tolerate fraudulent and inflated claims, and we have a duty to detect and deter these claims from impacting on our customers' premiums."
Bobby Linn was approached by the Daily Record for comment.
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