Mechanic comes clean after “elaborate lie” that his crashed car was robbed

Prison sentence for perverting the course of justice and 12-month driving disqualification from time of release

Mechanic comes clean after “elaborate lie” that his crashed car was robbed
Image: South Wales Police.

A self-employed mechanic who claimed that his crashed Audi was stolen in a bid to avoid the consequences has come clean after maintaining his “elaborate lie” for three months.

Gavin Kelly told the police he was walking home when he was robbed by three men who knocked him to the ground, stole his car keys, and crashed his car.

Speaking at Cardiff Crown Court , prosecutor Tony Trigg said: “The defendant made it clear he did not want a full police investigation.”

The court heard he crashed into a parked car on Eastern Promenade in Porthcawl at around 11.30pm on March 11.

Prosecutors said he was motivated to leave the scene by the fact he had been drinking.

A police officer arrived and found the car abandoned but quickly traced it to Kelly, who lived nearby, but was told he wasn’t home.

The court heard Kelly called the police at 7am the following day and claimed he had been robbed.

He said he had been out for “a couple of beers” and was attacked on his way home by three men, who knocked him to the ground.

The defendant claimed they kicked him while he was on the floor and stole his money and car keys.

Suspicions aroused

He said he just wanted his property back and did not want the matter taken any further, which aroused suspicions.

Prosecutors said he repeated the lie and stuck to his account over the next three months despite being given the opportunity to tell the truth.

The court heard the police launched an investigation and found Kelly’s DNA on the vehicle’s airbag which had inflated in the car as it crashed.

CCTV from the bar showed him arriving at 7.50pm and drinking several pints of beer before leaving at 10.20pm.

He eventually confessed the truth when he was arrested on June 11.

“This was an elaborate lie”

Judge Eleri Rees said: “This was an elaborate lie.

“The aggravating feature is that you persisted in it.

“The Court of Appeal on numerous occasions has made clear that those who pervert the course of justice in this way should expect an immediate custodial sentence.

“It strikes at the heart of the justice system.

“This must be marked with a term of imprisonment.”

Kelly was jailed for eight months and will serve half of that in prison.

He was disqualified from driving for 12 months from the time of his release.

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