A talented international soccer star with a checkered past is stirring up headlines once again.
Garry O'Connor, 28, a professional striker for the Scottish Hibernian Football Club (also called “Hibs”), is facing insurance fraud charges in connection with a suspicious claim on his prized Ferrari.
On May 3, O'Connor traded cleats for loafers to render a not-guilty plea at a pre-trial hearing held in a Haddington, Scotland court. The prosecution believes that O'Connor filed a bogus personal auto claim with Norwich, England-based insurer Aviva P.L.C. for more than $161,000.
O'Connor had reportedly told an Aviva rep he was driving his red Ferrari F430 Spider F1 on April 30 when it suffered extensive damage. U.K. prosecutors, however, contend the car was damaged two weeks prior and place Darren Brock, a friend of O'Connor's, behind the wheel.
Prosecutors told the BBC that O'Connor's version of events was untrue, as the red sports car was found wrecked and abandoned at a Tranent, East Loathian bridge on April 14. (The car was later written off)
Although O'Connor has charmed his way out of the occasional red card during a match, he may face his toughest opposition yet. To disprove O'Connor's claims, the prosecution plans to call on “six or seven” witnesses during the impending trial, noting that Aviva Insurance employees will be among those testifying.
Kicking A Cocaine Habit
Unfortunately this is not O'Connor's first publicized scandal. After allegedly failing drug tests, O'Connor found himself banned from the English Premier League. The league took great pains to handle the matter discretely to afford the troubled star privacy to deal with reported cocaine abuse; however, news of the expulsion eventually surfaced.
Depending on the outcome of the trial, this latest debacle might not bode well for the star's professional future.
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