Winsford couple admit attempting to pervert the course of justice

A couple from Winsford have pleaded guilty to wasting thousands of pounds worth of taxpayer’s money following a collision in the town.

Jay Price, 35, and Kelly Brown, 32, both appeared at Chester Crown Court on Friday 28th August where they pleaded guilty to attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Price also admitted driving without a licence, failing to report a collision, and driving without due care and attention.

The pair, of Cavendish Close, Winsford, have been bailed to appear at Chester Crown Court for sentence on Friday 9 October.

Shortly after 8am on Thursday 22 January a concerned member of the public contacted police to report a collision on Bradford Road, Winsford, after seeing an overturned car in the middle of a large pond at the Salt Mine.

Due to concerns in relation to potential casualties, multiple patrols were dispatched to the scene, including several police cars, five fire engines, a fire boat, several ambulances and an air ambulance.

However, after searching the vehicle and the pond, it became apparent that the occupants had fled the scene following the crash.

The car was subsequently recovered from the pond and during a search, officers discovered several bottles of Budweiser, a mobile phone, a bank card belonging to Brown and a Montirex Jacket which contained a bank card belonging to Price.

The keys to the car were also found in the ignition, on a keyring which also contained a house key and a photo of Price and Brown. DVLA checks also showed that the car was registered to Price.

Police also recovered CCTV footage from a nearby business which showed the car spinning on the road uncontrollably at 9.09pm on Wednesday 21 January, before crashing through a fence and into the pond.

Officers attended the couple’s house on Cavendish Close, but on arrival only Brown was present. When spoken to by officers she claimed that she had been home at the time of the collision.

A search was undertaken at the address, where officers discovered a damp Montirex jacket, which was drying in the kitchen and appeared to be covered in salt, consistent to the salt water in the pond where the car was found. The jacket was not seized at the time, and shortly after leaving the address it was washed by Brown. 

Police subsequently attended Price’s workplace to ensure he was safe and well.

Price was later arrested in relation to the collision and during questioning he claimed that he had sold the car for £1,400 to a man called ‘Fletchy’ on the night of the collision while at a local pub but had no proof of the sale.

He also claimed that he was watching a football match at a local pub at the time of the crash, however, checks revealed that the match was not shown at the premises he claimed he was at.

Price was released on bail while further enquiries were undertaken, which included the recovery of additional CCTV footage which showed a man and a woman walking along Bradford Road shortly after the incident.

Officers also recovered CCTV footage of Price and Brown together at a local supermarket just 20 minutes before the collision, which showed the pair purchasing a crate of Budweiser.

The couple were both wearing clothing which matched the CCTV footage from Bradfield Road. Price was also carrying the bank card recovered in the car, while Price appeared to be carrying keys which matched those recovered in the car.

The footage also showed the couple driving aware from the store towards the location of the collision.

After gathering a catalogue of evidence against the couple they were both subsequently charged in relation to the collision.

Police Constable Jack Pilkington of Northwich Local Policing Unit said:

“I welcome the fact that Price and Brown have now finally admitted their guilt. Their elaborate scam cost taxpayers thousands of pounds and also resulted in disruption to local residents and businesses.

“Rather than just report the incident at the time of the collision, they purposely chose to attempt to pervert the course of justice and repeatedly lied to officers about what happened on that night.

“However, their plans were clearly doomed from the outset, and as a result of the evidence we gathered they were left with no option but to plead guilty to the charges against them.”