A mother who had a drunk driving accident and then falsely claimed it was stolen in a burglary was spared from prison.
Rebecca Ferris, 37, admitted charges of misleading the judiciary and fraud through misrepresentation and was tried in Manchester Crown Court earlier today.
Recorder Michael Maher turned Ferris over for 12 months in prison but decided to stay the sentence “a hair’s breadth” after hearing about the impact it would have on her teenage daughter with learning disabilities.
The court heard that events began when Ferris crashed a VW Golf into a wall on Wellington Road in Eccles in the early hours of February 15, 2019.
Harriet Tighe, prosecutor, said a woman who worked at a nearby nursing home heard the collision and rushed to the scene because she believed someone needed medical help.
“She heard the Golf go well beyond the speed limit of 50 km / h,” said Miss Tighe.
“There was a squeal from the brakes and a really loud bang.”
Ferris was spared an immediate jail sentence
(Image: Manchester Evening News)
The witness found the Golf covered in bricks and rubble with the airbags activated and keys in the ignition, but no one in the car, the court heard.
“A woman appeared from behind the vehicle, it was the defendant,” said Miss Tighe.
“She approached [the witness] and she could smell alcohol on her breath.
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On the subject of matching items
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On the subject of matching items
“[Ferris] admitted to the witness, “It’s my car that I was driving, I was trying to get away from my boyfriend. I drank too much, please don’t tell the police.
Ferris then made his way towards Salford Royal Hospital, heard the court.
A policeman who happened to be nearby was stopped by a citizen.
The witness ignored Ferris’ request to lie and told the police officer at the scene what had happened, the court heard.
On the same day, Ferris of Kerrier Close, Eccles, contacted the police to report that her home had been broken into and her partner’s car had been stolen.
Ferris was tried in the Manchester Crown Court
(Image: MEN Media)
The officers attended and spoke to Ferris, but were immediately suspicious.
“They questioned the validity of the report and advised the defendant to think long before moving on with the allegation,” said Miss Tighe.
However, Ferris kept the hoax and signed a testimony as part of an insurance claim.
Her partner Wesley Haining also signed a statement the court heard, and the insurance company paid out more than £ 12,000.
The VW Golf was leased to Mr. Haining through the motability program and his partner Ferris was a named driver in the insurance company, the court said.
“Criminal proceedings may now have been approved [against Mr Haining] if they haven’t started yet, “Miss Tighe told the court.
During a police investigation lasting several months, officers obtained CCTV evidence that showed Ferris at the scene of the accident and found her DNA on the driver’s airbag, the court heard.
However, it was another two years before Ferris was charged.
Miss Tighe could not give a reason for the belated filing of the complaint.
Ferris pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and Michael Johnson defended himself, saying she “bitterly regretted her actions that night.”
He said she looks after her teenage daughter who has special educational needs and who left home after a “crisis”.
“The crisis that occurred on that occasion was particularly acute,” said Johnson.
“For reasons that the defendant bitterly regrets, she left the house, took the car and drove away.”
Mr Johnson said that while accepting that his client’s crimes were comfortably over the jail threshold, he argued that it should be suspended, arguing that there would be no one to look after Ferris’ daughter if she would be locked up.
The court heard that her father was looking after a second daughter who also had a learning disability.
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Ferris says she is no longer in a relationship with Mr. Haining.
When convicting Ferrus, Judge Maher said: “You plowed against a wall at high speed.
“Fortunately, pedestrians and other road users were not injured or you would be on trial on an even more serious charge.
“It follows that after you left the house at 11 p.m. you had been driving intermittently for three hours with a significant amount of alcohol in your system.
“I think that’s a serious aggravating factor.”
Judge Maher said he believed Ferris left home drunk because of the “pressure” in her personal life.
However, he said the police wasted valuable time and resources investigating their false intrusion reports, adding that it “would have been time and money that could have been spent on real crimes and real victims”.
Judge Maher handed down a 12-month sentence, with a suspended sentence of 18 months, adding, “I am going to take this detention by a hair’s breadth.
“You are indebted to Mr. Johnson.”
Ferris was also banned from driving for six months and has to pay a victim surcharge.
