Lying Sunderland mum may yet be jailed after blaming boyfriend for speeding

Lauren Taylor received a suspended sentence in November last year when she admitted perverting the cause of justice by falsely claiming Darren Alberts was behind the wheel of a Nissan Qashqai on three separate occasions.

Taylor, 39, of Kedleston Close, Ryhope, also hid correspondence confirming Mr Alberts’s speeding points and eventual ban.

Her lies only started to unravel when her boyfriend discovered he was disqualified after querying why his credit score had unexpectedly plummeted.

Taylor received a nine-month suspended jail term, £100 fine and was also ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work.

Judge Robert Spragg concluded that it was "not a case where the appropriate punishment can only be achieved by immediate custody".

Now, however, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has asked Attorney General Geoffrey Cox, the Government’s most senior law officer, to approve a bid to increase the sentence.

This will now be heard by judges at London’s Court of Appeal on Wednesday, January 22.

While the CPS do not comment on individual appeals in advance, a spokesperson said: “If the CPS feels a sentence is unduly lenient, we will ask the Attorney General to consider the case.

“A sentence is considered unduly lenient where it falls outside the range of sentences which the judge, applying his mind to all the relevant factors, could reasonably consider appropriate."

Sentencing Taylor last November, Judge Robert Spragg said she had a low risk of re-offending, a low risk of harm of causing serious harm to the public, had been out of trouble since the May 2016 offences and had strong personal mitigation as a result of a difficult childhood.

Yet Newcastle Crown Court also heard about how Mr Alberts’s ordeal “has totally destroyed my life”.

He said in a victim impact statement: "I was completely oblivious to the fraud being committed in my name until I checked my credit score, which has always been high. It is now zero.

"I was totally unaware, I have been driving my own car with my daughter inside. This broke my heart.

"I attended six different courts at different times to prove my innocence."