Sunderland mum who lied over speeding offences avoids jail again

Lauren Taylor received a nine-month 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, Sunderland, was also handed a £100 fine and ordered to complete 100 hours of community service.

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

This application was heard at London’s Court of Appeal on Wednesday.

Three judges have now refused the Attorney General’s appeal and decided Taylor’s sentence should remain the same.

A full explanation for their decision is expected to be released shortly.

Newcastle Crown Court was told last year how Taylor hid correspondence confirming Mr Alberts’s speeding points and eventual ban after she began blaming him for the offences.

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

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

He 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.

Newcastle Crown Court also learned how Mr Alberts’s ordeal “has totally destroyed my life” and how handwriting experts were called in to prove his innocence.

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."

The CPS has been approached for comment on Wednesday’s outcome.