A local Brighton footballer has exposed himself after appearing on TV whilst pursuing a £55k insurance claim.
Callum Saunders, 33, from Saltdean, claimed that he was unable to pursue employment due to suffering a debilitating foot injury that affected his mobility.
However, the non-league footballer who plays for Haywards Heath FC, was actively appearing for the team at the same time.
His dishonesty was discovered when after scoring a stunning goal caught on pitchside recording, was submitted to Sky TV show Soccer AM, making their broadcasted programme.
The subsequent programme was discovered by Lawyers Clyde and Co who submitted this footage to Brighton County Court in opposition of the claim being made.
Insurance investigators then assessed the claims legitimacy and concluded that Mr Saunders was in fact the man in the footage, costing him his pay out and resulting in the financial penalty of £5000 in legal costs.
They stated that ‘Saunders, 33, a striker for Haywards Heath FC from 2015-2019, was attempting to claim over £55,000 for an injury following a road traffic accident in March 2017.
‘However, his appearance on Soccer AM was one of the pieces of evidence presented to Brighton County Court to prove Saunders was exaggerating the extent of his injuries’.
The video clearly documented him striking the ball with no difficulty using his right foot, the exact foot he claimed was injured and prevented him from being able to work as a self-employed plasterer or continue to play football at the initial time.
Personal social media accounts also evidenced multiple posts and tweets regarding his continued appearances on several occasions, with the Haywards Heath FC posting footage on their YouTube channel of Saunders actively playing for the team.
After being confronted with the evidence, Saunders agreed his claim was dishonest and withdrew his case, paying £5000 for the costs accrued by the solicitors.
Photo Credit: Peter Glaser
