Advice re car accident

[bladonad]

Hi All Hoping to use the ED forum for some advice

About 10 days ago my car was hit by a lorry on Wood Vale near Lordship Lane- I wasn't there to witness the accident so was left feeling a bit saddened that someone wouldn't leave a note when I saw my car had been hit later.

Then a few days later someone left a note on my car saying they witnessed it and have a picture/ video and to give them a call- which helped me restore a bit of faith in society again

Unfortunately this person has now provided us with a photo of the lorry up against our car but blurred out the license plate and has asked for ?100 to send to their landlords property management company to help them with their rent (faith in society lost again)in exchange for the video/picture not blurred. Having looked up the number this person actually seems to run the property management company so I am feeling a bit scammed

Not sure if there is anything I can do about this- dont really want to spend ?100 if in fact we also will have to pay an insurance deductible- it may be cheaper to just take this to a garage rather than paying the ?100 + a deductible

What should I do? Should I give the police/ insurance company this persons details in hopes they help or just walk away from it all

[singalto]

I certainly would not pay the ?100!

[se22cat]

That's extremely odious behaviour by that self-serving individual, one is tempted to describe it as cuntish.

Sorry to hear about your car : (

[deborah.bruce]

Wow, that's really mean spirited.

Sorry about your car.

[Countrlass22]

Go police no way pay and tell. Police give details person who demanding it they may even be after them.

How disgusting to demand that total scam.

So sorry hear your car. Left like that.

Does lorry have company name. Police may be able trace driver fine company.

All best

[IlonaM]

Sorry to hear about your car.

Definitely give photos/film to police with details of the person trying to extort money from you. What an unpleasant individual. Hopefully they will have a word with him/her and warn them off whilst obtaining the full details of the registration number of the offending lorry.

Hopefully there may be other cctv in the area which police can access.

Keep the faith - not everyone is so unpleasant.

[Gloves]

Please post the name of the management company. It would be interesting if people knew of them or him.

[ruffers]

That is pretty low from the property management company.

I had a similar thing recently where my motorbike was knocked over parked next to work. I wanted to claim direct against the driver and not bother with insurance for fear of losing no claims etc so asked the buidling for cctv. They gave it me but blurred out the number. They did say though if my insurance had approached them they wouldn't have blurred it. In the end I reported it to the police and the guy was taken to court for leaving the scene.

Not sure how that helps but it may be going through insurance would work for you.

[edcam]

Go to the police. Extortion is illegal.

[paulu197]

It's blackmail, plain and simple. I'm sure the police would help out and kill two birds with one stone

[jimlad48]

Thats illegal behaviour - tell them that unless they provide details you will go to the Police. Possibly local media too to 'name and shame' the company.

[Penguin68]

Technically this is vile, but it's not blackmail (blackmail would be where the owner of the video images contacted the lorry driver/ firm offering to suppress the information for money). It's an attempt to gain value from an image which is owned by the individual (although in fact the OP's insurer would have more interest in paying for it as it is in their interest to off-set the cost of repair to the lorry's insurer (ensuring they are not also covering that!)).

If there has been a traffic offence (as opposed to a civil offence) then there may also be an issue of not providing police with images of that offence - and it would certainly be worthwhile contacting the police to see if there has been such an offence.

If the lorry has been in an accident where damage has been caused, the driver or owner company does have a duty to report this to their insurer (but probably not to the police where there was no personal injury). Vehicle damage is a civil issue.

Doesn't stop this being quite sickening to read about. Particularly where the image owner has apparently been misrepresenting his position in the matter.

[Penguin68]

If there are images of the event, it may be that the police might wish to see these, unredacted, to ensure that there wasn't a moving vehicle offence committed? Maybe that could be your approach?

[JohnL]

Hmm - Bet there's a GDPR implication here somewhere. Trying to 'seduce'a sale just sounds dodgy though.

[TonyQuinn]

Go to the police....what a ridiculous query.

[doogleflip]

Wow - That is unbelievable. That person's thought process must have been like, "Ooh, I can make a bit of money here by blackmailing the victim"

Insane

(SE22CAT pretty much sums it up)

[Angelina]

what a low life - you really don't need that to deal with on top of everything else

Tell the police, tell you insurance company that you have a witness who is withholding information for payment and then get on with sorting out your car. Don't give this person any money.

Hope you're ok.

[peckham_ryu]

Do persuade the police to interview this person. Either they are attempting fraud, in which case they?ll get themselves nicked, or they?ll have to hand over the unedited evidence. (Alternatively, withholding / deleting the evidence would create another offence for the police to nick them on.) Go for it.

[Sue]

Really sorry to hear this.

Agree that you should tell the police.

Can't believe anybody would be such a (expletive deleted)