I lied to prevent my man being sent to prison

7:09pm Monday 9th June 2008

A MOTHER-of-two who admitted lying in a police interview to protect her boyfriend has walked free from court.

Sarah Martin, aged 21, was found guilty by Worcester magistrates of handling stolen goods, including a tumble dryer and a deep fat fryer.

Despite breaching an existing two-year conditional discharge for three counts of false accounting and breaching a five-month suspended jail sentence for battery, Martin of Langdale Drive, Worc-ester, walked free from the court.

Magistrates were told how, in December last year, Martin and the father of her two children, Matthew Davies, had been living together in a second floor flat off Tolladine Road, Worc-ester. The police arrested them both on suspicion of burglary bet-ween Thursday, Novem-ber 8, and Thursday, December 6, 2007, of a tumble dryer, a deep fat fryer, net and suede curtains, two CDs and a stainless steel knife set found in their flat by officers.

Mr Davies has already been sentenced for handling stolen goods after admitting the charge but appeared in court to give evidence.

The magistrates were told that the pair had agreed Martin, pregnant with their second child at the time, would tell the police under interview that she knew about the items but they had come from a car boot sale.

Martin said: "I was scared. He (Mr Davies) has been done for burglary before. This would have been his third strike burglary. I didn't want him to go to jail and leave me."

Martin admitted lying following the first round of police interviews.

Mr Davies later decided to tell the police that Martin had known nothing of the items' history.

Mr Davies said he had found all the items, except the CDs and the dryer, on a grassy area near to the block of flats and had told Martin the goods had been from family and friends. He insisted that the tumble dryer had come from his mother while the CDs had been left following a recent house party.

Judith Kenney, defen-ding, said her client had never been questioned by police in relation to the handling charge and because she was not present when the items arrived at the flat there was no way of knowing they were stolen.

Magistrates found Martin guilty and gave her an 18-month conditional discharge, inc-reasing the active time of her existing five- month suspended sentence from 18 to 21 months. She was also ordered her to pay £450 costs.