Pedestrian who falsely claimed injury in bus collision given 150 hours community service

Isabel Hayes

A pedestrian who falsely claimed he was injured in a collision between a bus and a car has been given 150 hours of community service in lieu of 18 months' imprisonment.

After witnessing a collision between the two vehicles in Dublin city centre in 2017, David Gregan went to a solicitor's office and claimed he had been injured as a result of the crash, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court previously heard.

Gregan (43) claimed he had suffered soft tissue injuries including to his shoulders. The parties in the case were Dublin Bus and Trinity College – as the car involved in the accident was registered to the college.

However, an anti-fraud claims investigator for the insurance company involved reviewed CCTV footage of the crash and found Gregan – although present on the footpath – was not near enough to be hit by the two vehicles involved, the court heard.

Gregan withdrew his claim in 2018 and no payment was ever made, although the other parties were at a loss of €9000 due to legal fees, Detective Garda Damien McKenna told Diana Stuart BL, prosecuting.

Gregan, of Abbeylea Close, Swords, Co Dublin, pleaded guilty to one count of making a false statement to a solicitor within the State on October 20, 2017. He has no previous convictions.

Defence counsel said Gregan has worked in the security industry for 25 years. He was previously the victim of an assault as a result of his work, where he was hit with the end of a gun, the court heard. He is separated from his wife and has a history of mental health difficulties.

Judge Martin Nolan said it was clear Gregan had “succumbed to temptation of what he thought was easy money”. He noted Gregan's lack of criminal convictions and said he did not believe Gregan deserved a custodial sentence.

He sentenced Gregan to 150 hours of community service in lieu of an 18-month prison sentence.