A man who made a substantial personal injury claim has avoided jail he was later seen on DVDs taking part in cage fighting competitions.
Raymond Smith, from Dublin, admitted giving false information about injuries he suffered in a car crash.
He claimed he had suffered a debilitating back injury when another driver went into the back of his car in 2009.
Mr Smith, 29, pursued a personal injury claim against the other driver and was awarded €7,500 in compensation.
However, the ruling was overturned after DVDs were presented to Dublin Circuit Criminal Court which showed Smith engaging in mixed martial arts, also known as cage fighting.
Smith of Cairn Court, Poppintree, Ballymun, pleaded guilty a to knowingly giving false or misleading information to a solicitor at his home in an affidavit during a personal injury claim on September 27, 2010.
He is the first person to be prosecuted for this type of crime under the Civil Liability and Courts Act of 2004 and had faced a maximum prison term of ten years and a fine of up to €100,000.
Smith was given a three year suspended sentence by Judge Mary Ellen Ring.
Judge Ring said an example had to be made of people “willing to make false claims for financial reward”.
Although the case was the first of its kind, Judge Ring added it “was not dissimilar in nature to others were people make false assertions either under oath during a trial or as in this instance while swearing an affidavit.”
