A corrupt policeman allowed a Tesco delivery driver to crash into the back of his Citroen - so he could pocket £33,000 in insurance.

Kuldip Singh, 42, staged deliberate car smashes as part of a gang and told a 'series of sustained lies' as he filed sham compensation claims.

On March 11, 2016, he conspired with driver Raiyaan Anwar, 32, who drove into his white car while his nephews and two other passengers - Krishna Gnanaseelan and Singh Dehal, both 31 - were inside.

All of the passengers made personal injury compensation claims, Southwark Crown Court heard.

Prosecuting, Christina Russell said: 'Mr Singh himself called the police. All four of the passengers were known to him including two of his nephews.

'They all claimed they had suffered injury and they made personal injury claims to Tesco. This included soft tissue damage for up to £10,000.

'Singh also claimed his £250 insurance excess to Tesco. The fraudulent insurance claims totaled £33,362 – although only £912 was paid.'

Singh also reported damage to the car and claimed over £1000 for repairs.

The fraudster - who now claims he is mentally ill - set up a luxury car hire business, ADK Supreme with Alper Emin, 55, and claimed his vehicles had been cloned to avoid paying parking fines and penalties for driving offences. 

Ms Russell said 'one of these was involved in an accident on January 14, 2016, and collided with three vehicles and the driver of the car failed to stop'.

'The next morning Singh and Emin falsely alleged a burglary had taken place and the key to the car had been stolen.

'Mr Singh was present when the report was made, the police officer taking the report was aware that Mr Singh was there and stood silent.

'There had been no burglary. Claims were then submitted by Mr Singh alone to Tradewise.

'He gave an account of the burglary and he volunteered that he was a police officer in order to increase his chance of being believed,' the prosecutor added.

Singh received £16,145 from an insurance company.

Three other cars leased by ADK Supreme were involved in collisions or issued with tickets for road traffic violations, and Singh falsely claimed the cars had been cloned to avoid being held liable.

Ms Russell said: 'In order to avoid penalties from traffic offences that had been issued, including for speeding and going through a red light, Mr Singh said he had not been driving the car and that he believed the car had been cloned.

'They doctored the car's appearance and submitted the new photos.

'The outcome was that police took no further action.'

Singh also created a false police report that one of his leased cars had been cloned and persuaded a member of police staff to make the entry on the police database in an attempt to avoid suspicion.

Ms Russell said Singh asked a fellow police officer to generate a report on a car being cloned, and said he would type it using the colleague's login.

His colleague reluctantly let him but – later reported him to his bosses.

Singh fled the country, along with the others, but he was extradited from Georgia on March 4 this year.

He admitted conspiracy to commit fraud, fraud by false representation, two counts of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, two counts of perverting the course of justice and unauthorised access to a computer to facilitate the commission of further offences.

Anwar, Emin, Gnanaseelan, and Dehal all remain at large, though Emin pleaded guilty to some of the offences in 2018.

Ms Russell said: 'He will no doubt have brought the police service into disrepute by his offending.'

Singh has now claimed he is mentally ill.

However, a psychiatrist who examined him believed he could be faking and said there was 'possibility of an ulterior motive for claiming symptoms' of psychosis and schizophrenia.

Ms Russell said: 'He's been living in Georgia and Russia for seven or eight years.

'He has been in custody in Georgia, it's not clear from when but we concede he has spent 34 days in custody before he has been extradited.'

Singh was thrown out of the Georgian territory Abkhazia in January this year on suspicion of spying for the British state and detained in Georgia before he was extradited.

Sentencing was adjourned until June 26 after Singh submitted a handwritten letter to the court alleging he had been tortured in Russian detention among a string of other allegations.

Judge Mark Weekes adjourned the case and said: 'This is a man who was prepared to tell a series of sustained lies to the authorities up until and including court proceedings. His credibility is not great.

'A number of very wide ranging assertions are made which if they were to be accepted include an allegation of torture.

'This is a man who has engaged in behaviour not calculated to increase his credibility.

'I would like to know what the Crown has to say about this letter.

'I don't think I'm afraid we cannot complete this sentencing exercise today, I'm reserving it to myself until 26th June at 2pm.'