A semi-pro footballer whose insurance scam was found out when he bragged about scoring a goal on Twitter was handed a suspended sentence by a top judge.

Gary Burnett, 25, claimed he was so badly injured in a car accident at a McDonald’s drive-through that he could not play for his club, Northwich Victoria, for weeks.

But in fact, the window cleaner was back playing the following day and soon afterwards tweeting about a goal he had scored in the FA Trophy.

The Cheshire dad-of-one’s attempted fraud was rumbled when insurance investigators spotted his tweets and he withdrew his claim.

Suspended jail term

He was ordered to pay £11,000 court costs last year - and was handed a suspended jail term for contempt of court by Mr Justice Jay at the High Court on Friday (April 15).

The judge said the sentence was a warning to those considering fraudulent accident claims and he had ‘only just’ decided to suspend Burnett’s sentence.

“It’s all gone pear-shaped for Mr Burnett because he didn’t think for one moment that he was vulnerable,” said the judge.

“You are likely to be rumbled and that is why you have to be truthful. If you are rumbled, the world collapses around you.”

Minor shunt

The court heard Burnett, of Lowton, near Wigan, had been involved in a minor shunt at a McDonald’s in Birkenhead in October 2013.

He later claimed he had not planned to make a bogus claim, but ‘someone’ had suggested he might be able to get a payout.

He told a doctor he had suffered a neck injury, which prevented him making himself available for his team for four weeks.

He said he had tried playing once but had to be substituted because of his pain.

Insurance investigation

But his lies began to unravel when insurer Aviva investigated his claims and found the references on social media.

He was challenged and withdrew his claim, admitting he had made a ‘foolish judgment call’.

A judge at Wigan County Court last year ruled his claim was ‘fundamentally dishonest’ and ordered he pay the insurer’s £11,000 costs at a rate of £63-a-month.

Today, the solicitor general Robert Buckland QC applied for Burnett’s committal to prison for contempt of court.

Deterrent sentence

Representing Mr Buckland, barrister Louis Mably said actions like Burnett’s ‘strike at the heart of the justice system’ and a deterrent sentence was necessary.

Mr Burnett accepted he was in contempt, but his barrister Trevor Parry-Jones said the footballer was a ‘naive’ young man who relied heavily on his parents.

The former Wigan Athletic youth player had not planned a staged accident, but merely exaggerated an injury, ‘gilding the lily’, for which he was remorseful.

He earns only a ‘modest’ salary and pays maintenance to an ex-partner, with whom he has a two-and-a-half year old son.

Utterly foolish

“Overall, the effect on him is great,” he said. “He is not going to fall foul again. He knows what the consequences are. He has been utterly foolish.”

Jailing him for four months but suspending the term for a year, Mr Justice Jay said he was impressed with Burnett’s ‘frank and contrite’ attitude to what he had done.

He continued: “Mr Burnett and the public need to understand that this court takes a very serious view of this type of offending. It is inherently corrosive and damaging.

“In the circumstances of the present case, I will impose a sentence of imprisonment, but I will suspend its operation.”

Nervous and emotional

Burnett, wearing a dark suit and tie, was in court for the hearing and appeared nervous and emotional as the judge delivered his ruling.

He was accompanied by his parents, who were said to be ‘appalled’ by his actions. His father wiped away tears as Mr Justice Jay suspended the sentence.

Burnett was ordered to pay £500 towards the solicitor general’s costs, at a rate of £10 a month.

The judge said the ‘brazen fraud’ had left Burnett facing costs bills which would take him about 20 years to pay off.

Serious case

The solicitor general said later: “This is a serious case, highlighted by blatant dishonesty and a clear contempt by the offender.

“Burnett knowingly lied in order to benefit himself and the public interest demanded that proceedings be taken forward.

“Burnett is now deservedly paying the penalty for his actions and I hope this sends a message to anyone tempted to try and do the same thing.”