A DRIVER whose car was hit by a bus while he was shopping tried to claim he was in the car at the time to get compensation.

Jordan Rudwick sent an injury claim to Brighton and Hove Buses, claiming he suffered upper body, neck and back injuries as a result of the collision and that his injuries meant he had to take a day off work.

But the 23-year-old has been ordered to pay a fine and court costs by Brighton Magistrates Court after CCTV showed he was in the Co_Op in Whitehawk Road, Brighton, at the time.

The Brighton and Hove Bus lightly clipped the parked black Volkswagen Golf at 10am on November 5, 2017. The bus driver immediately pulled over.

Rudwick later sent an injury claim to the bus company.

But CCTV from the Co-Op and from the bus clearly shows Mr Rudwick in the Co-Op buying drinks when the minor collision occurred.

When he saw the bus clip his car, Mr Rudwick dropped his bag of shopping and ran outside to exchange details with the bus driver.

While Mr Rudwick popped into the shop, CCTV footage showed there was at least one passenger in the back of his car and the driver’s door was open.

When Sussex Police interviewed Mr Rudwick in February 2018 he admitted he had lied about being in the car when it was struck by the bus. In April, police gave him a conditional caution and ordered him to pay £150 to charity. Brighton and Hove Buses chose the Clock Tower Sanctuary.

But Sussex Police took the fraudster back to Brighton Magistrate’s Court on December 20 last year (2018) because Mr Rudwick had not donated the money to charity. This time, after he had admitted the fraud the magistrate fined him £133 and ordered him to pay £115 court costs.

Brighton and Hove Buses’ Insurance and Claims Manager, Ed Knight said: “He blatantly tried to defraud the bus company by claiming he had been injured when a bus clipped his car and then he failed to donate the money to the Clock Tower charity, as ordered by the court.

“Ultimately, if his claim had been settled, the money he would have received is money passengers have paid for their travel. If you, or your family, travel by bus that money would’ve been given to him.

“All of our buses have CCTV and we investigate every single claim. I’m surprised that people think they can get away with these dishonest claims. We will continue to report all fraudulent claims to Sussex Police.”