The £50M Lie: Welshman Gets 4 Years, 3 Months for Faking Jaguar Malfunction To Avoid Car Payments

A Welshman who claimed that his Jaguar malfunctioned to avoid paying for his car financier has been found guilty. Nathan Owen, 33, was sentenced to four years and three months in prison. He pleaded guilty to fraud and dangerous driving.

The incident happened at around 2:10 p.m. on 6 March 2024 on the M58. According to Merseyside Police, the suspect was headed home to Bolton driving his Jaguar I-PACE. He called 999 with the claim that his Jaguar was malfunctioning and he couldn't stop.

Vehicle Data Fails To Prove Owen's Claim

According to the Merseyside report, Owen was travelling from Ormskirk and when he reached the end of M58 at the Orrell interchange, he made a turn and headed back westbound on the same highway. He was driving towards Liverpool when he made the 999 call. Owen continued to drive to Switch Island, then onto M57 and onto M62.

The car finally made a stop close to junction 12 at Birchwood. All throughout the journey, the Jaguar was speeding and collided with a police car 31 times. Owen claimed it was beyond his control as the Jaguar would not stop despite his machinations.

Owen was driving at a maximum speed of 86 mph (129 kph) on the M roads with a 70 mph (113 kph) limit. He was accelerating 'beyond his control' for about 35 minutes, traveling around 38 miles (61 kilometers). But when police checked his data, the Jaguar was at a standstill 30 seconds before making the emergency call.

Further investigations found no fault with the car. However, because the incident was reported all over British news, Jaguar Land Rover's reputation took a hit. The company had to spend £50 million ($67 million) on marketing campaigns.

Adverse Media Coverage

After the incident, Owen reportedly sold his story to British tabloids. He received around £800 ($1,075) to narrate his 'terror ride' and '35 minutes of hell.' Owen's accounts generated 180 pieces of adverse media coverage for the car company, reported Jaguar Land Rover.

Police investigation revealed that Owen did not step on the brakes at any point in his 35 minutes of 'uncontrollable' acceleration. Authorities also found text messages on Owen's phone where he was finding a way to get rid of the Jaguar. Owen was also contemplating having it written off, months before the incident.

Prosecutors told the Court that Owen still owed the car financing company £5,000 ($6,717). On the day he claimed the Jaguar malfunctioned, Owen tried to borrow money from a financing company but was unsuccessful. Aside from the car, he also has other outstanding debts, which was why he missed his car payments.

5-Year Driving Ban

Owen was arrested on 13 March. Aside from his jail stint, he would not be allowed to drive for five years after his release from prison. During the sentencing, Judge Ian Unsworth KC told Owen: 'You, meanwhile, sought to profit from a lie.'

'You set in train a course of conduct which caused a significant police traffic operation to be deployed, undoubted alarm to the public and very substantial loss and disruption to others,' the judge said. Prosecutor Eric Lamb told the court: 'Before entering the motorway, he went through red lights. He was texting his girlfriend whilst apparently not in control of the vehicle and collided with a police car deployed to assist.'