Patricia Rogers, Barnsley: Watch moment surveillance footage exposes Jeremy Kyle fraudster's fake disability

This shocking survelliance footage helped to secure the conviction of former Jeremy Kyle guest, Patricia Rogers, and ensure her £500,000 fraudulent claim was denied.

Rogers, aged 25, of Hoyland Road, Barnsley, claimed her involvement in a road traffic collision at the age of 15 - when she was a passenger in a car being driven by her stepfather - had left her with a back injury that meant she was ‘in essence unable to walk’.

In reality, Rogers had been left with a minor injury.

During Rogers’ sentencing hearing on Tuesday (April 9), Sheffield Crown Court heard how the fraudulent claim to insurers NFU Mutual was initiated by Rogers’ stepfather - who has since died; and she not only continued with it as an adult, but she also ‘added to it’.

The court also heard how Rogers made what The Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, described as the ‘extraordinarily stupid decision’ to go on The Jeremy Kyle Show, revealing her ability to walk unaided.

Rogers went on the controversial show, not once - but twice, in 2017 and 2018; and that, coupled with this surveillance footage obtained by NFU Mutual, helped to expose her lack of disability.

She was subsequently charged with, and pleaded guilty to, a fraud offence, after the case was referred to the City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department.

Detective Constable Carley Parodi, from the City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department, said: “Rogers took advantage of a genuine car accident and, for almost a decade, kept up the pretense that it had a substantial effect on her life.

“There was a huge difference between Rogers’ ability to carry out her day-to-day activities in the surveillance footage and the serious impact of the accident as she described during her medical appointments. It was astounding that she told medical professionals she could not walk unaided, but then appeared on national television doing just that.

“Rogers thought she could convince medical professionals and the insurer using methods such as going to her medical appointments with a walking stick. The sentence handed down to her should serve as a reminder that, however clever you think you are being, committing insurance fraud will have repercussions.”

Get a bespoke headline round-up, as well as breaking updates, when you sign up to The Star’s free emails

NFU Mutual gathered the surveillance footage on April 26, 2021, after it noted inconsistencies in the medical reports that Rogers submitted to support her claim, leading it to suspect that it was fraudulent. In one report, a consultant orthopedic surgeon wrote that he was unable to explain her condition and concluded that it was either grossly exaggerated or due to an underlying psychological condition.

Rogers attended a medical assessment on April 26. The surveillance footage showed that Rogers travelled to the appointment in a taxi. She walked to the vehicle with a walking stick hanging from her arm and, after leaving the taxi, entered the medical centre leaning heavily on the stick.

During the appointment, Rogers completed a medical questionnaire in which she claimed that she was unable to get dressed, washed with difficulty, and could not lift or carry anything. She alleged that her back pain stopped her from standing up for more than 10 minutes at a time and that she could only walk with a stick or crutches.

However, surveillance footage from earlier that day showed Rogers leaving her residence and walking her two dogs for around 40 minutes. She held the lead of one of the dogs and walked unaided, with no obvious discomfort. Rogers later went into a shop and emerged holding a walking stick. She used it for a short distance, then lifted it off the ground and walked back home.

NFU Mutual referred the case to IFED on August 18, 2021, and Rogers gave a voluntary attendance interview on November 17. When shown the footage of her walking her dogs, Rogers told officers that she could not use a walking stick because she was holding a lead. She admitted that she bought a walking stick that day, but claimed that she had one in a different size at home.  

Rogers stated that she had been able to walk around the set of The Jeremy Kyle Show unaided because she was feeling angry, which distracted her from the pain.

Richard Turnell, Claims Specialist at NFU Mutual, said: “By exaggerating and inflating the extent of her injuries and losses, Patricia Rogers sought to fraudulently claim money in the sum of up to at least half a million pounds at the expense of NFU Mutual’s members. Over a period of almost a decade, Rogers attempted to mislead medical experts and investigators and even purchased props to support her deception – but she was observed on several occasions walking and running unaided.

“Fraud of this kind is a crime which can and does have a real impact on innocent people and ultimately impacts premiums. We are determined to continue to protect our members from third party insurance fraud and we will continue to work with IFED to hold criminals to account for their actions.”