A disgraced surgeon at the National Orthopaedic Hospital at Stanmore still has the antiques he tried to fraudulently claim for police have confirmed.
Anthony McGrath, 46, was jailed for eight years after he staged a break-in at his home before claiming 95 items worth £182,612.50 had been stolen.
Suspicious police later uncovered the fraud, but police now say the antique items used in the surgeon’s crimes are still “under his control”.
Bedfordshire Police have said it was an “unusual case”, but they did not seize them due to their high value.
Detective constable Dave Brecknock said the force decided “not to seize the antiques, due to their high value and delicacy” and extensively document them instead.
McGrath’s fraudulent claims featured on Channel 4s 24 Hours in Police Custody which followed the police investigation as detectives unravelled the surgeon’s web of lies.
The antiques he claimed for were later photographed and sent to police by McGrath. However, data taken from the photos revealed they were taken after when he claimed they were stolen, and it revealed the photos were taken at another of his homes in Ireland.
Police duly searched his home in Ireland and found the antiques that had supposedly been stolen.
In addition to his fraudulent insurance claim, he submitted three fraudulent mortgage applications to secure more than £1million on two properties.
He denied all the charges but was found guilty of four counts of insurance fraud, perverting the course of justice and three counts of mortgage fraud.
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