British tourist jailed after faking own death

A MAN who faked his own death in an attempt to claim over $810,000 was jailed for six years today by a British court.

Anthony McErlean staged a fictitious car wreck in Honduras, then posed as his wife in order to claim on his life insurance.

The insurance company was told McErlean died after being hit by a truck while changing a wheel by the side of a road.

An alleged witness who had been invented as part of the claim said a truck full of farm workers took his body to a small nearby village.

The money was never paid out after the insurance company became suspicious.

At an earlier hearing, McErlean from Petham, southeastern England, admitted four charges of fraud and theft.

When he was arrested, McErlean told detectives he carried out the fraud because he did not want to be destitute in his old age.

He admitted sending the insurance company a death certificate and a Honduran police accident report.

When police examined the death certificate, they found McErlean’s fingerprints on it.

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