Backpacking Law Grads Arrested in Rio for Alleged Fraud
Law graduates Shanti Andrews and Rebecca Turner, both 23, could face up to 5 years in a Brazilian jail following accusations of insurance fraud. The two graduated from Sussex University in 2007 and were on the return leg of a nine-month trip around the world. They were expected back on Tuesday but are now in a womens’ prison on the outskirts of Rio accused of luggage fraud. The two girls told police that thieves had stolen around £1,000 worth of …
Law graduates Shanti Andrews and Rebecca Turner, both 23, could face up to 5 years in a Brazilian jail following accusations of insurance fraud. The two graduated from Sussex University in 2007 and were on the return leg of a nine-month trip around the world. They were expected back on Tuesday but are now in a womens’ prison on the outskirts of Rio accused of luggage fraud.
The two girls told police that thieves had stolen around £1,000 worth of possessions, including a camera and laptop computer, during a bus trip from the tourist resort of Foz do Iguaçú, near the Iguaçú Falls, to Rio de Janeiro. However, officers were suspicious of their composed demeanour and the fact they took days to report the apparent crime. Items they claimed had been stolen were found by police in their luggage.
Although Simone Headley, the mother of Shanti Andrews, claimed to the BBC that in this instance there was a misunderstanding, luggage insurance fraud is apparently not uncommon in the world of backpacking. SolicitR spoke to one qualified lawyer with plenty of backpacking experience who said (pining) that during his time away he had met backpackers who bragged of dumping belongings at the end of a trip in order to claim insurance. The money was then used to cushion the return home or to pay for nice new cameras etc for the next trip. He said that most backpackers were probably decent honest people who wouldn’t bother but you meet all sorts… …. and we had to cut him off there.
July 30, 2009
idiots
July 30, 2009
Insurance fraud is a serious crime and these girls knew full well what they were doing; muppets.
July 30, 2009
Must be horrible in a Brazilian prison. I feel sorry for them for that but I don’t rate their chances of a legal career once they get home.
July 30, 2009
They could stand for parliament if they get back in time fo the election.
July 30, 2009
They are a couple of naive spoilt kids who should have known better but 5 years would be excessive if they get convicted as it would only be an attempted fraud for a fairly insignificant sum.
July 30, 2009
silly, silly behaviour
July 30, 2009
pair of muppetts
August 3, 2009
Don`t want to prejudge the issue but there would seem to be enough evidence against them to bring a charge…there is a snobbish patronising undertone that they thought the Brazilian police couldn`t be bothered, or are easily fooled by such a tactic.