A taxi driver who fabricated a series of dead dogs to fuel fake pet insurance claims swindled more than £30,000, a court heard.
Romania-born Robert Cretu carried out the fraud by taking out dozens of policies for animals that did not exist.
He then created dramatic accounts of their supposed deaths, including a dog named Leo who he claimed had leapt into the sea from Blackpool Pier.
In another claim, Cretu said a pet called Lola had been hit by a lorry during a visit to the Lake District.
But several of his claims were refused after insurers became suspicious about the paperwork he provided.
Cretu was eventually brought before the courts, where he admitted five counts of fraud by false representation.
Liverpool Crown Court was told by his barrister that the 40-year-old had turned to the scam while under financial pressure, caused in part by his taxi repeatedly breaking down.
He appeared to puff out his cheeks in relief after narrowly escaping an immediate prison sentence.
Conman taxi driver Robert Cretu, 40, (pictured) puffs his cheeks out as he leaves court with a suspended prison sentence after raking in over £30,000 by making bogus insurance claims for multiple fictitious dogs.
Cretu made a total of 30 false claims to five different insurers relating to fictitious dogs supposedly being killed, ‘usually by being hit by a car’, the court heard on Monday.
He submitted false documents and veterinary notes between December 2023 and August 2025, pocketing a total of £31,700.
Sarah Egan, prosecuting, described how Cretu took out the majority of the insurance policies in fake names, with payments also being made into bank accounts under the names of others.
Eight of these claims were made to Pinnacle Pets UK, including one which saw him paid £1,100 in March 2024 after alleging a dog called Lola had died after being hit by a lorry in the Lake District.
Cretu also falsely reported to several of the insurers that another pet, named Leo, had fallen into the sea from Blackpool Pier while chasing a seagull.
However, some did not result in payment after suspicions were raised over fraudulent activity.
One, in relation to an apparently deceased Doberman, was rejected due to ‘excessive costs’ and a lack of confirmation that a supposed subsequent cremation had actually taken place.
Cretu, who has no previous convictions, confessed to his crimes when interviewed by detectives and ‘said the money had been spent on family finances’.
Sarah Griffin, defending, told the court he was an ‘otherwise hard working man’ and the ‘sole bread-winner’ for his family.
‘He stopped working as a factory supervisor and had very low income from his delivery jobs,’ she said.
‘He bought a taxi and says that the taxi broke down multiple times. It sounds as though it has been a combination of factors.’
Cretu intends to repay the insurers from his earnings, Ms Griffin said.
Appearing in the dock wearing a khaki green long-sleeved shirt, Cretu, of Kirkby, Merseyside, was handed a 20-month imprisonment suspended for 18 months with a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 20 days.
Judge Gary Woodhall told him the cost to insurers of weeding out fraudulent claims ‘increases fees for everybody else’.
But sparing him immediate custody, he told Cretu: ‘I am just about persuaded that your remorse, the admissions from the outset and the fact there has been no further offending may well allow for a conclusion that there is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation in the community.‘
