Woman from Southport sentenced for perverting the course of justice after falsely reporting stolen car

A woman has appeared in court after she falsely reported her car had been stolen after it was involved in a fail to stop road traffic collision in Southport.

At around 8.40pm on 31 December 2022 a BMW was seen being driven dangerously and at speed along Cemetery Road before swerving and crashing into a wall. A male and female were seen to exit the vehicle and make off.

At 9.45pm that night Natalie Cashen rang 999 to report her car had been stolen claiming she left it parked in a street in Southport.

The car was seized and examined and a prosecution notice sent but Cashen failed to respond stating she never received the letter and did not know who had been driving her vehicle.

DNA analysis from the driver’s airbag established that Mohammad Haque had been driving the car.

Haque, now 22 and of Sefton Street, Southport, was arrested and charged with two counts of disqualified driving, dangerous driving, fail to stop and fail to report an accident. He pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing and was jailed for 14 months and banned from driving for four and a half years.

Mobile phone enquiries established Cashen had been travelling in the area of the collision at the time it happened and had been stationary at the time. It also showed that she was miles from where she claimed the vehicle had been stolen from when she reported it. DNA also returned a match for Cashen as the front seat passenger.

Cashen, now 26, and of Rainworth Drive, Southport, was charged with perverting the course of justice for falsely reporting her car stolen.

She pleaded guilty and yesterday, Thursday 30 May, she was given an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months and ordered to carry out 20 days rehabilitation activity and 20 hours unpaid work and pay £500 costs.

Roads Policing Inspector Carl McNulty said: “Cashen clearly thought she could avoid justice by falsely reporting her car had been stolen when in fact she was the front seat passenger and knew who the driver was on that evening.

“Thankfully no innocent people were injured when the car crashed into the wall but obviously this could have had far more serious consequences.

“It is only thanks to the suspicions and the commendable work of the investigating officer that we were able to prove Cashen was attempting to pervert the course of justice.

“I hope this serves as a lesson to any other driver who attempts to evade justice and hinder a police investigation in such a manner that we will pursue and prosecute them.”