Dentist faked own death for £1.85m insurance claims

A dentist has been jailed for five years after admitting making £1.85m of life insurance claims after faking his own death.

Emmanouil Parisis, 46, formerly of Barnstaple, Devon, admitted eight charges of false representation.

He faked a car accident in Jordan, moved to Aberdeenshire and changed his name to Neil McClaren.

Parisis received £51,000 in claims, the court heard. His wife was also convicted in connection with the fraud.

Parisis, who was originally from Jordan and had debts of £379,000, forged documents to show he had died in a car crash while on holiday in Amman, Jordan, in 2009, the court heard.

He claimed on 15 different insurance policies, assumed his fresh identity and moved to Peterhead, Aberdeenshire.

The court heard that he liked a champagne lifestyle, but his £135,000 a year salary was not enough to pay off rising debt.

His defence team said the fraud was driven by desperation in the end.

After he moved to Scotland, his wife, Stiliani Parisis, 41 - known as Anabella McClaren - stayed behind in Devon, to play the part of the bereaved widow.

The couple's four children believed their father was dead for three months before his wife and they moved to Scotland also.

Judge Paul Darlow described Emmanouil Parisis as "very much the prime mover" in the case.

He said: "In my judgement, the claims were fraudulent from the outset and there was a degree of professionalism about them."

His wife, who also admitted fraud charges, was sentenced to 16 weeks, but was released because of time spent in custody and a curfew.

Mrs Parisis's sister, Nikoletta Theodoropoulou, who knew he was alive, was also arrested by officers investigating the case.

She was acquitted of fraud charges because she was not involved in the claims.

After the case, Det Insp Mike West, from Devon and Cornwall Police's major crime investigation team, said the officers had to follow an "extremely complex individual who was complex and calculating".

He added: "There are four children that have been extremely damaged by his lie.

"They were told at an early stage that he died, and they were informed later that he was alive.

"The psychological effect on these children is, to me, incalculable."