Migrant's £7m Home Office claim ruled dishonest after go-karting footage

A Sri Lankan immigrant who claimed £7 million for injuries allegedly sustained during immigration detention has had his lawsuit dismissed by a High Court judge. Mr Justice Mansfield ruled the claim fundamentally dishonest, describing the exaggeration as a 'scandalous' waste of court time and public resources.

Evidence of active lifestyle

The Home Office hired agents who gathered surveillance footage showing Vengadeswara Raw Gopalakrishnan engaging in activities inconsistent with his claims. The claimant had stated he was incapable of working, studying, or leaving his home unaccompanied due to severe psychiatric injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.

However, the filmed evidence revealed Mr Gopalakrishnan driving, dining out, taking his children to school, and spending an hour exercising at a gym. Further investigation uncovered online records of his participation in a competitive go-karting tournament and evidence of him working as a delivery driver.

Mr Gopalakrishnan arrived in the UK in 2010 and was placed in immigration detention between September 2013 and February 2014. He was released on health grounds and later granted indefinite leave to remain in 2023, after which he initiated legal action.

Claim fabricated for financial gain

The judge found that Mr Gopalakrishnan and his partner of ten years, Reena Mathew, who acted as his litigation friend, had deliberately fabricated and calculated symptoms for financial gain. Ms Mathew had recently informed the court that Mr Gopalakrishnan required round-the-clock support and was unable to manage his finances or leave the house alone.

When confronted with the video evidence and other inconsistencies, the claimant offered no explanation. Mr Justice Mansfield stated, "It is clear to me that the claimant’s exaggeration of his symptoms has been deliberate, calculated and for the purposes of gain from these proceedings."

The judge added, "By the standards of ordinary decent people, the claimant’s conduct in bringing and pursuing a claim for damages based on fabricated or exaggerated symptoms was dishonest."

Legal costs awarded

As a result of the ruling, Mr Gopalakrishnan has been ordered to pay all of the Home Office's legal costs.