Woman agreed to have leg broken by boyfriend in bid to claim £100,000 insurance

A man broke his girlfriend's leg in an attempt to defraud Plymouth City Council while filming it on a mobile phone, a court heard.

Gordon Albert Thomson deliberately jumped on Elizabeth Hingston's left leg with the intention of making a false claim that a wall had fallen on her.

He filmed the horrific act on his mobile phone, which was later seized by city police.



Thomson, aged 32, of Bampfylde Way, Southway, yesterday pleaded guilty to one count of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to 23-year-old Ms Hingston between October 1 and 30 last year.

Plymouth Crown Court heard that Thomson, who has been in custody for 209 days, had a history of paranoia and schizophrenia. Judge Francis Gilbert QC adjourned sentencing until Friday, December 21, for a psychiatric report to be prepared by the local health authority.

Shortly after the hearing, Thomson's fiancé Lauren Partridge, speaking from the couple's Southway home, said she would 'stand by' her man whatever the outcome of the case. The 18-year-old, who said the couple were not together at the time of the incident, said: "We plan to marry as soon as he gets out. He is the victim in all this."