A boxer who pocketed £250,000 in an insurance fraud scheme to fund his lavish lifestyle has been jailed for a second time.

Hamid Sediqi, of Somervell Road in Harrow, invented a series of car crashes to make over 60 bogus insurance claims and buy a penthouse flat in the Canary Islands.

Sediqi, who also goes by the name of Kevin Heartbreak, also splurged his money on several flashy cars – including a bright pink Mazda – and had pictures on his phone where he showered his pet pug with cash.

The 36-year-old managed to con solicitors with the help of his girlfriend Belma Draganovic and fellow boxer Mason Smith, who has also appeared as a contestant on dating reality TV show Singletown.

Using his alternate name, he pretended to be the managing director of a well-known insurance claims management company.

He managed to establish a business relationship, where he received a fee for claims passed on- £500 including VAT for road traffic accidents and £700 and VAT for all other claims.

The trio then took it in turns to pretend they had been involved in a car crash and using pictures of damaged cars from the internet, so they could also pocket compensation from insurance company Aviva.

An investigation by the Ministry of Justice Claims Regulation Unit found the bank accounts, which solicitors had been paying fees and claims into, were all associated with various aliases used by Sediqi.

By September 2018, Aviva detected 62 bogus motor insurance claims dating from 2016 onwards which were linked to the boxer.

Rather than lay low, the fraudster and his associates bought a penthouse apartment in Gran Canaria and a series of flamboyant cars.

He was found hiding under his desk at his shop in Hanwell as he was arrested.

The boxer, who used other aliases including Richard Joseph Johnson and Najib Sharifi, had been jailed in 2013 for a similar scam, using scrapped cars to make bogus payout bids.

Carl Mather, a manager at Aviva’s Special Investigations Unit said: “Aviva originally identified Kevin Heartbreak as a serial fraudster 10 years ago for which he was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment and was forced to pay back the proceeds of his crimes.

"This most recent case underlines the need for the incoming whiplash reforms to tackle the disproportionate compensation attached to whiplash claims, which continues to attract fraudsters, and which pushes up premiums for all genuine customers.

“Although Heartbreak may have believed his latest enterprise was beyond detection, he was wrong.

“I’m pleased that Aviva quickly uncovered the scale of his offending and the roles of those involved, and we will continue to fight fraud and prosecute offenders – in this case, for the second time.”

Mr Sediqi was sentenced to four years in prison and is being considered for a Serious Crime Prevention Order which would place him under various restrictions in committing crimes if granted.

Meanwhile his girlfriend was handed an 11-month suspended prison sentence.

Mr Smith, of Northridge Way, Hemel Hempstead, was handed a community order including a three-month tagged curfew.

Proceedings will now commence under the Proceeds of Crime Act to recover the funds which were illegally obtained.

Detective Constable Haywood said: “Sediqi was investigated by IFED (Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department) in 2013 and received jail time for contriving Road Traffic Collisions.

“In spite of this custodial sentence, Sediqi clearly had not learned his lesson, and has yet again attempted to gain financially from a number of fraudulent activities.

“With accomplices in tow, Sediqi managed to fraudulently accrue nearly £245,000, targeting solicitors and insurance companies, and stealing the identities of companies and members of the public.

“The trio of criminals became tangled in a web of lies, which ultimately led to their downfall and the truth being exposed.

“Thank you to all the victims, members of the public and companies who assisted with the investigation.

‘We also would like to thank the Government agencies who supported this investigation, including HMPO.”