Indian man who claimed he was set alight by thugs after he suffered burns while trying to torch his car to claim insurance avoids jail

UPDATE 2.15pm: INDIAN man gets suspended jail after torching his car in insurance scam, then falsely claiming attackers set fire to him.

AN Indian national who doused his car with petrol and burned it - and himself in the process - to claim insurance money before saying he was randomly attacked by a group of men has received a suspended jail sentence for his trouble.

Magistrate Felicity Broughton described Jaspreet Singh's botched insurance scam as a stupid “premeditated enterprise'' that brought great shame to himself, his family and his community.

With no pun intended, defence lawyer Paul McClure said it was a desperate plan for money that “back fired''.

Police prosecutor Sen-Constable Luke Devlin told Melbourne Magistrates’ Court today that Singh intended to sell his car - a 2003 Ford Futura sedan - as he intended to return to India on holiday at the end of January 2010.

Sen-Constable Devlin said Singh had a conversation with a friend called Mr Gandhi and told him he did not think he would get a good price for the vehicle, but mentioned it was insured for $11,000 but probably only worth about $8000.

“Around the 6th of January the accused again spoke with Gandhi saying that he intended to `get rid' of the car by using petrol to burn it,'' Sen-Constable Devlin said.

Singh bought a 15-litre container from Bunnings and filled it with petrol, which he poured over his car in an Essendon street.

He held the container at shoulder height and poured the fuel on the car, before igniting it with a gas stove lighter.

“The accused failed to consider atmospheric conditions and volatility of petroleum vapour so upon engaging the flame…a vapour explosion occurred,'' Sen-Constable Devlin said.

ingh received burns to 30 per cent of his body, including his neck, face and scalp.

On January 27, Singh – who lives in Victoria with his wife on a spousal visa - lodged an insurance claim for the damage to his vehicle.

Singh pleaded guilty to dishonesty offences including attempting to obtain property by deception and making a false report.

In sentencing Singh to eight months' jail suspended for two years, Ms Broughton said he made up the arson attack story at a time when fire damage in Victoria and tension between Australia and India were sensitive issues.