Debt-ridden mechanic faked burglary at his own Wakefield garage for insurance pay-out

Martin Ong turned over his office, cut through metal bars, removed or smashed equipment and even cut a hole in the roof of his business on Silcoates Street to make it look like the thieves had ransacked the premises.

But he was quickly foiled when a Fiat Doblo van, supposedly stolen from the building, was captured on CCTV in convoy with Ong’s own van.

Leeds Crown Court was told that Ong had devised the hare-brained scheme the day before after bailiffs had turned up at his home demanding money.

Prosecutor Carmel Pearson said police were called to Martin’s Auto Centre on July 18 last year after a member of the public thought there had been a break in. Ong turned up in his van after the police and “feigned” tears and shock as he perused the damage and missing items.

But when police confronted him just a few hours later he was quick to confess. The 57-year-old, of Newton Close, Wakefield, admitted attempting to pervert the course of justice.

A probation report found that he had built his company up for 15 years, becoming an MOT centre. But he had been left in debt caused first by the pandemic, then by soaring costs for his business, including a rent hike. He said he was £20,000 in the red and told the probation officer: “I’m a better mechanic than I am a criminal.”

Mitigating on his behalf, Jemima Stephenson said his outgoings had increased by £6,000 a month, was trying to sell the business so he could retire but could see “no way out”.

She added: “He accepts it was an incredibly stupid decision but it was a decision he made out of a lot of financial pressure. He had not really thought it through, it really doesn’t have any real sophistication to it.”

She said that Ong had not only worked hard all of his life, but had taken on students from a local college to help them become mechanics.

Judge Simon Phillips KC tool mercy on Ong, giving him a 12-month sentence, but suspended it for 18 months. He also gave him 150 hours of unpaid work.

He said that despite Ong’s attempt to “hoodwink” the authorities, he “did not persist with the charade”.

He added: “You are ordinarily an individual with a strong moral character and positive work ethic. For many years you have done your level best for staff and customers.

"Individuals who come before this court for perverting the course of justice in almost every case go to prison immediately. But there are exceptions, and in your case, for reasons entirely valid, the court accepts you acted out of character.

"There’s no excuse for that. You went about trying to remedy your financial position that was not only wrongful but criminal and inexcusable. But you were under pressure at the time and not coping well with the stress and anxiety you were suffering which came to a head when bailiffs came to your home address.”