Former cage fighter Alex Reid jailed for 8 weeks for lying over a crash compensation claim

(PA)

MMA fighter and former husband of Katie Price, Alex Reid, has been jailed for eight weeks for contempt of court, after it has been found he lied a witness statement for a compensation claim.

The High Court heard the 45-year-old made a county court claim for about £20,000 in compensation after an Audi driven by him was involved in a collision with another driver in January 2018.

As part of that claim, he said in a sworn statement that he did not know a motorbike rider called Darren Summers, who it was claimed had witnessed the crash.

However, the other motorist’s insurers, Axa Insurance UK, uncovered an article about Reid’s appearance in a MMA masterclass in Ipswich in September 2017.

The article stated that Mr Summers, a former European and world kickboxing champion, had organised the event for charity.

Following this revelation, Axa Insurance UK initiated High Court committal proceedings against him in January this year, after which point Reid admitted contempt of court.

Mrs Justice Eady sentenced Reid to eight weeks in prison, saying she recognised his extenuating circumstances, including that his fiancee is six months pregnant and he has recently been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome.

However, the judge said that only a custodial term would reflect the serious nature of his dishonesty.

She said he will serve half of his sentence in prison and the remaining half on licence following his release.