The boyfriend of a suspected drink-driver, prosecuted after police found her damaged car abandoned after a late-night crash, dodged jail for perjury today.
Fork-lift driver Ryan Malt, 30, (pic.l.) of Kites Close, Crawley told police he was not in the car and had given Amy Young a couple of hot toddy brandies before they had a chance to breathalyse her.
However, his DNA was on the passenger airbag of the grey Seat Leon, which demolished a road sign and collided with a crash barrier on the A23 Crawley Avenue, near the junction with Gossops Green in the early hours of February 11, last year.
Police eventually tracked down Miss Young (pic.r.) and when blood-tested nine hours after the crash still had an alcohol reading over twice the drink-drive limit.
She was cleared by magistrates of driving with excess alcohol, but Malt was arrested after the trial for lying in the witness box about not being in the car when it crashed.
He had originally told police: "If I knew she had had an accident, I would not have given her a drink."
In reality the couple had been out together that night and Malt had consumed alcohol.
Prosecutor Mr. Gordon Ross told Croydon Crown Court: "His account was that he was not in the car and had given Miss Young two drinks."
His lawyer Mr. John Stark said: "When the police came into the house he says he panicked and believed the police were trying to say he was the driver.
"He admits he lied, he had been consuming alcohol at the time, and he felt he could not back down on what he said to the officer.
"He gave evidence to corroborate Miss young's story about her post-accident alcohol consumption."
Judge Timothy Stow QC told Malt: "Perjury is always a very serious offence.
"One can understand you lying to police at the time because you thought you were going to be prosecuted and wanted to get out of that predicament.
"The criminality arose when you persisted with that lying account."
Malt was sentenced to eight months imprisonment, suspended for two years, ordered to perform 150 hours community service and pay £150 costs.
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