Woman claims car was stolen...but officers found it didn't have an engine

Hayley Barlow, aged 36, claimed her car had been stolen…despite it not having an engine.

Her story unravelled once officers found CCTV footage of her in the car while it was being towed away by a van.

The footage has now been released by Cheshire Police as a warning to others after Barlow appeared in court today, Tuesday, and received a four month prison sentence suspended for one year.

The court heard Barlow had called police in the early hours of July 4 last year to say that she had woken up to discover that her car keys had been taken from her home and the vehicle parked outside – a Volkswagen Golf – had been stolen.

She then called her insurance company to report the theft and later made a £2,000 claim for her ‘stolen’ car.

The car had been set alight in Saughall near Chester on July 3 and had been destroyed by the flames.

But while they were investigating the burglary claim, officers discovered that the car did not have an engine when it was set alight.

The car was found burnt out...but with no engine

Barlow told police that the car was in working order when it was stolen and denied that it was missing an engine.

She also claimed that had fallen asleep at around 7pm on the night the car was ‘stolen’ and had not left her house before calling the police the following morning.

However evidence uncovered by officers revealed that she had in fact arranged for a man she knows with a van to tow away the car for £20.

She sat in the car as it was towed before setting it alight using a canister of butane gas at around 9.10pm and then heading back home.

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Barlow was arrested at her home on Treborth Road in Chester on July 10 where a search uncovered a wrap of cocaine.

She admitted possessing the cocaine, and after being presented with all the evidence against her, Barlow also admitted to lying to the police, reporting a burglary that did not happen, setting fire to her VW Golf and making a fraudulent insurance claim.

Barlow said that her actions were spurred by debts she has and the amount of money the car was costing her in repairs.

She pleaded guilty to fraud, perverting the course of justice and possession of class A drug cocaine at Chester Crown Court before Christmas before returning to court for her sentencing.

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Nicky Edgell, detective constable, said: “Not only did Barlow report a burglary to the police that did not happen and attempt to defraud her insurance company with a £2,000 claim for a car that was not stolen, she caused a potential environmental and health hazard by setting fire to the vehicle.

“Due to the temperatures at the time of the offence and the dryness of the dense undergrowth along Green Lane, the fire spread a considerable distance from the vehicle and posed a risk to the fields and farms nearby.

“Thankfully firefighters were able to extinguish the fire before it could spread further, but many hours have been spent investigating Barlow’s burglary report and subsequently her offences, including obtaining witness accounts, photographing scenes, conducting interviews and examining phone reports, telecoms data and CCTV.

“Barlow had the opportunity to admit her fraudulent actions early on in the investigation but chose not to, continuing to lie until the evidence against her was overwhelming.

“I would like to thank all the officers involved in the investigation for their hard work in untangling Barlow’s web of lies and securing this conviction.”

Barlow was also ordered to adhere to a 20-day rehabilitation activity requirement and pay a £115 victim surcharge.