Couple staged a crash

A couple who staged a car crash while pretending to be strangers were discovered when the insurance company saw that they appeared in each other's Facebook profile pictures.

David Ward (aged 30) was the front seat passenger in an Opel Corsa which rear-ended the Volkswagen Passat Lynsey Ivory (aged 27) was driving.

Ward and Ivory of The Beeches, Clonshaugh, Priorswood, Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to attempting to dishonestly by deception cause a loss to FBD Insurance on dates between July 22, 2013 and January 1, 2014.

Both of them claimed to be suffering injury from the collision but denied to gardaí, who arrived to investigate the crash, that they knew each other.

They were transferred to hospital in the same ambulance during which they continued to pretend to be strangers.

The court heard that if the couple's claim had been successful they could each have been awarded up to €15,000. The pair will be sentenced tomorrow.

Ward has seven previous convictions for offences including criminal damage and theft, while Ivory has no convictions.

The couple have two children and have since married.