A FORMER Bulford soldier and his wife who claimed a bike accident had blinded their eight-year-old son to swindle £70,000 in insurance cash were both jailed for 12 months today.

Ex-army Lance Corporal Jeremy Jones and his now estranged wife Sally Anne forged a medical letter from a Salisbury Hospital consultant claiming their son had permanent sight-loss in his left eye.

But they were caught out by police when they tried to pull another scam, this time claiming Mrs Jones had lost hearing in one ear when their car backfired in their garage.

Sentencing the pair at Salisbury Crown Court, the Judge Mr Justice Cutler said: “To forge a letter such as that from a consultant in the NHS making such claims is clearly an appalling act – not only dishonest, certainly devious, but many might think despicable.”

In June 2010, the son fell off his bike at Bulford Camp and was taken to hospital with head injuries.

In August, the couple forged a letter from Roger Humphry, a consultant ophthalmologist at Salisbury District Hospital, saying the optic nerve in their son’s left eye had been severed and the injury was untreatable.

The “crude forgery” was littered with mistakes, but AIG Insurance still paid £70,000 into Mr Jones’ bank account in October.

Then, less than two years later, the pair claimed £35,000 for Mrs Jones’s hearing loss, partially forgeing a letter from Jonathan Corlett, a hearing specialist as Salisbury.

The pair Tipp-exed out the last sentence which said Mrs Jones had refused to undergo further tests.

Suspicious, AIG referred both claims to fraud police who launched a criminal investigation.

Detectives discovered the couple had bought a car and paid bills with the swindled cash.

They voluntarily were jointly charged in June 2014 with two counts of fraud and two counts of forgery.

The pair, both 38, were jointly convicted of one count of fraud and two counts of forgery at Winchester Crown Court in October 2014.

Detective Inspector Oliver Little said: “Jeremy and Sally Jones shamelessly lied to their insurer about their young son’s health to gain tens of thousands of pounds that they were not entitled to.

“Resolute on getting a payout, they even forged medical documentation to support their spurious stories.

“Their downfall should serve as a lesson to anyone thinking of submitting bogus personal injury claims.”

AIG fraud manager David Halstead said: “Today’s sentencing sends out the clear message that those committing fraud are increasingly likely to get caught, prosecuted and found guilty.

“AIG will continue to take a tough stance on tackling insurance fraud.

“Customers should not have to pay the price for fraudsters through higher premiums.”

During the investigation, Jeremy Jones, of Heath Lane in West Bromwich, took voluntary redundancy from the British Army, receiving a £52,000 payout.

The remaining £42,000 will be seized by police and paid to AIG.

Mrs Jones, whose address was withheld by the court, was convicted in 1996 for falsely claiming £11,000 in benefits between 1993 and 1995.

In mitigation, Nicholas Cotter said Mr Jones was a hardworking and industrious man, with glowing references from his commanding officers in the army.

“He is greatly frightened and has learned from his mistakes,” Mr Cotter said.

“He will not be back before the court gain.”

Representing Mrs Jones, Tom Wainwright said custody would be a “huge upheaval” for her son, who has Asperger’s and autism.

“His mother and her partner have tried to explain to him what may happen today,” he said.

“But he has very great difficulty computing that. Any change to their routine can cause real psychological problems.”

The couple spoke only to confirm their names.

Upon hearing the sentence, Mrs Jones was tearful while Mr Jones stared straight ahead, appearing unmoved.