Surgeon Anthony McGrath will now be spending his days in jail instead of in operating rooms.
Found guilty of fraud by false representation and committing acts with intent to pervert the course of justice, the insurance and mortgage fraudster has been handed an eight-year prison sentence at Luton Crown Court. The case involved a staged burglary in 2015 at a rented property on the Luton Hoo Estate.
A release issued by Bedfordshire Police said McGrath claimed that nearly 100 items, including antiques, were stolen but in fact shipped some of the valuables to his home country Ireland. The van he hired for the move was apparently fitted with a tracker.
At the time McGrath was seeking £180,000 in compensation for the fake break-in, which also led police to uncover multiple mortgage frauds worth over £1 million. During the course of the trial, other forms of scamming perpetrated by the doctor came to light as well.
Commenting on the outcome, Detective Constable Dave Brecknock said: “This was an incredibly complex three-year investigation and a lengthy court process, with the trial lasting more than four months, so I’m really pleased we have now reached a conclusion, and finally can say that justice has been done.
“Despite the complexities of the case, the motive was simple – this conniving and deceitful man intentionally broke the law in order to gain hundreds of thousands of pounds. But this goes to show that no matter who you are, how clever you think you might be, you cannot get away with breaking the law.”
Judge Barbara Mensah described the offences, carried out over a long period of time, as sophisticated and detailed. She said McGrath demonstrated “pathological levels of dishonesty and arrogance, and took every opportunity to attack and defraud his insurance company.”
