An Indian man, who claimed to be the victim of racial attack in Australia, was on Monday sentenced to eight-month jail after he pleaded guilty to setting his car on fire to claim insurance money.
Jaspreet Singh, 28, purchased a 15-litre can of petrol, poured it over his car, and set the vehicle alight Jan 8. His motive was to claim $11,000 from insurance company, but in the process Singh sustained 30 per cent burn injuries, requiring skin grafts and a one-month stay in the hospital, the Melbourbne Magistrate's Court heard.
When questioned by police after the incident, Singh said he was randomly attacked by four racist Australian men - a story that would capture headlines and tap into community anxieties about racially motivated attacks on Indians.
Singh's false claim of racial attack came less than a week after 21-year-old Indian accounting graduate Nitin Garg was fatally stabbed outside a restaurant in Melbourne.
Monday, Singh pleaded guilty in the court to setting his Ford sedan alight for financial gain and to making a false report to police, The Australian reported.
Escaping prison for his plea of guilty, Singh was sentenced to an eight-month jail term wholly suspended for two years.
{{/usCountry}}Escaping prison for his plea of guilty, Singh was sentenced to an eight-month jail term wholly suspended for two years.
{{/usCountry}}Deputy Chief Magistrate Felicity Broughton said Singh acted with "stupidity and superficiality" and impacted both his family and his community.