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Lied to the police in a witness statement to protect my boyfriend..?

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Original post by Anonymous
A couple of weeks ago my boyfriend and his friend were in a fight with a random guy on a night out. Me and another friend then remained with said guy until an ambulance arrived just to check him over.
When they arrived the police came too and asked us about the event and trying to protect my boyfriend we made up two different people etc and said we had no idea who they were.
Police then took my statement the next day and i repeated the scene with the idea that we had no idea who the two guys were who had been in the fight

recently had a call from the police to say they've been looking at CCTV etc so now im worried they will see we did know the people in the fight (as we were in the street talking prior to the event) and the descriptions me and my friend gave weren't accurate

I doubt this whole thing will go to court as no one was seriously injured etc but im worried what will happen to me if the police figure out i lied in my statement, does anyone have an idea?

thanks :frown:


I think you should see the police as soon as possible and tell them the truth (I'm sure they will take pity of you, as you were scared and nervous and thought you were doing the right thing), before things get too out of hand and you end up getting yourself in deep poo and as for your boyfriend, it would also be worse for him. That would also teach him a lesson not to do such thing again, unless of course there was a very good motivation.

Then again it's your decision you are going to have to live up to. :smile:
(edited 9 years ago)
Ignore anybody who says anything other than speak to a lawyer. Nobody here knows what they are talking about, but a lawyer will. They will tell you what to do.
Original post by Ahava
OP, I am kind of disappointed with the reaction you have got from the post, not to mention that probably the majority of these people do not study law, have never studied law, along with practical experience in working with law firms and the CPS itself.


You're 21. I'm guessing you have recently graduated or are soon to graduate from your academic (read: non-vocational) law degree at Manchester Met. You're big-headed if you think this endows you with some specialist insight on this issue which is not available to others with some knowledge or experience of the law. Reminds me of that YouTube clip of a law undergraduate pisspot telling a police officer that he was a student of the law! after being confronted for some minor offence.
Original post by Anonymous
A couple of weeks ago my boyfriend and his friend were in a fight with a random guy on a night out. Me and another friend then remained with said guy until an ambulance arrived just to check him over.
When they arrived the police came too and asked us about the event and trying to protect my boyfriend we made up two different people etc and said we had no idea who they were.
Police then took my statement the next day and i repeated the scene with the idea that we had no idea who the two guys were who had been in the fight

recently had a call from the police to say they've been looking at CCTV etc so now im worried they will see we did know the people in the fight (as we were in the street talking prior to the event) and the descriptions me and my friend gave weren't accurate

I doubt this whole thing will go to court as no one was seriously injured etc but im worried what will happen to me if the police figure out i lied in my statement, does anyone have an idea?

thanks :frown:


I actually played some music out loud through my headset on public transport. I nearly got cautioned by the police. I was listening to this; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju954ji7V8E

They should have enjoyed it :frown:
Original post by Birkenhead
You're 21. I'm guessing you have recently graduated or are soon to graduate from your academic (read: non-vocational) law degree at Manchester Met. You're big-headed if you think this endows you with some specialist insight on this issue which is not available to others with some knowledge or experience of the law. Reminds me of that YouTube clip of a law undergraduate pisspot telling a police officer that he was a student of the law! after being confronted for some minor offence.


The real question is, what do you know about the law?
Original post by Ahava
I've also worked twice for the CPS. They really don't have the time, money, or room in prisons to send someone down for lying about their boyfriend being in a drunken (probably not serious) fight. Assaults aren't prosecuted and neither are most ABH's. Unless this guy had bones broken, organs punctured, had his face seriously deconstructed, literally nothing will happen to her.


This doesn't mean your advice wasn't poor. A police caution (which OP could get for this) would not involve the CPS, yet would go on OP's criminal record. That would need to be disclosed to future employers.

Don't make false witness statements, kids.
Original post by Ahava
x


With respect, what qualifies a 21 year old to understand, definitively, how the CPS decides to charge criminal matters? And to state that they would not prosecute this matter, or the assault? By fifth year of law, I presume you mean AS, A2, 1-3 years of the LLB? Are you basing your seemingly in-depth knowledge of CPS charging practices on a 1 week work experience placement or something?

Original post by Birkenhead
You're 21. I'm guessing you have recently graduated or are soon to graduate from your academic (read: non-vocational) law degree at Manchester Met. You're big-headed if you think this endows you with some specialist insight on this issue which is not available to others with some knowledge or experience of the law. Reminds me of that YouTube clip of a law undergraduate pisspot telling a police officer that he was a student of the law! after being confronted for some minor offence.


Quite.
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by Ahava

No, it's not acceptable for lawyers to advise their clients to lie, although I have come across a few cases. However, she is not my client. I doubt she will even become anyone's client either. Sometimes, protecting those who you love is a lot more important than abiding by what the law says you should do. If she wants to lie to protect him, that's her choice and she (and probably has) got away with it. Although, as I said before, I would not advise her to lie in any future circumstances.


Did your five years of criminal law study teach you that?

Blimey, good luck in practice if this thread ever gets unearthed by the wrong people.
Reply 68
you shouldn't lie to the police, everyone should pay for their actions, your boyfriend is not a real man if he cant take the consequences of his actions. what about that random guy? he would want justice like the same way you would if your boyfriend was the random guy. js.
Reply 69
Original post by Birkenhead
You're 21. I'm guessing you have recently graduated or are soon to graduate from your academic (read: non-vocational) law degree at Manchester Met. You're big-headed if you think this endows you with some specialist insight on this issue which is not available to others with some knowledge or experience of the law. Reminds me of that YouTube clip of a law undergraduate pisspot telling a police officer that he was a student of the law! after being confronted for some minor offence.


Just because it's a non-vocational course doesn't mean I'm prevented from organising my own experience outside from my course. I think my opinion on this is a lot more rational than you're going to be sentenced to 7 years rot in jail! I don't think studying law makes me better than anyone else or entitles me to anything more. If anything, choosing to study law has been the biggest mistake of my life.

I'm just offering sympathy and some rational advice to the OP. It's completely inappropriate to tell her to rot in jail or tell her the police are going to come after her, find her out, drag her to the crown court and then be dragged into a cell for the next 7 years.
Original post by Ahava
Just because it's a non-vocational course doesn't mean I'm prevented from organising my own experience outside from my course. I think my opinion on this is a lot more rational than you're going to be sentenced to 7 years rot in jail! I don't think studying law makes me better than anyone else or entitles me to anything more. If anything, choosing to study law has been the biggest mistake of my life.

I'm just offering sympathy and some rational advice to the OP. It's completely inappropriate to tell her to rot in jail or tell her the police are going to come after her, find her out, drag her to the crown court and then be dragged into a cell for the next 7 years.


You're probably right...I wasn't attacking your opinion, I was attacking the way you dismiss other opinions on the basis that, unlike you, many other posters haven't studied a law degree.
Original post by TurboCretin
This doesn't mean your advice wasn't poor. A police caution (which OP could get for this) would not involve the CPS, yet would go on OP's criminal record. That would need to be disclosed to future employers.

Don't make false witness statements, kids.


I thought cautions only appeared on the more strenuous CRB checks for child-related work etc.?
Original post by Birkenhead
I thought cautions only appeared on the more strenuous CRB checks for child-related work etc.?


A standard DBS check shows:

"unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands and final warnings"
Reply 73
Original post by Birkenhead
You're probably right...I wasn't attacking your opinion, I was attacking the way you dismiss other opinions on the basis that, unlike you, many other posters haven't studied a law degree.


It kind of felt like it since you're 21! Know nothing and study at Man Met! Yes, I am young, but I've been through what people have been through in a lifetime. I think OP needs a bit of sympathy since they know they have done complete wrong. I've worked hard in my studies whilst devoting most of my spare time to work experiences, vacation schemes etc. And yes, Man Met, hahaha. If anything, I've had to work even harder to get past many prejudiced employers who think only people from red brick uni's are worth even an interview. All this when I don't even truly want to study law and become a lawyer.

I'm dismissing others who are instilling pointless fear into the OP by telling her to expect to be locked up. It's a bit harsh on the OP. If I had no clue what was going on and read these responses, I would be more worried than I was at first instance. They probably came here to put their mind at rest.

By the way, those who act drunk and disorderly then get chucked in back of a van, then start screaming "I'm training to be a barrister, you'll be sorry", are absolute nonces. It's downright cringey and hope they die with embarrassment the next day.
Reply 74
Original post by TurboCretin
Did your five years of criminal law study teach you that?

Blimey, good luck in practice if this thread ever gets unearthed by the wrong people.


No, my own life experiences taught me that. Some things are just more important than some law that a white, 60 year old, rich male made up.

Thanks, but I doubt I'm going into practice so I think I'll be fine.
How about, "I saw nothing".

Not to mention, nice boyfriend you have :rolleyes:
Original post by SarcasticMel
How about, "I saw nothing".

Not to mention, nice boyfriend you have :rolleyes:


That's still a lie. She would still be in the same dilemma.
Original post by Ahava
I've also worked twice for the CPS. They really don't have the time, money, or room in prisons to send someone down for lying about their boyfriend being in a drunken (probably not serious) fight. Assaults aren't prosecuted and neither are most ABH's. Unless this guy had bones broken, organs punctured, had his face seriously deconstructed, literally nothing will happen to her.


This.



I love how dramatic TSR posters are with matters of breaking the law.
Original post by Good bloke
And, as I pointed out, you already have! :rolleyes:


Ergh get over yourself. I think Ahava is a lot more qualified to talk about this than you.
Reply 79
Original post by Twinpeaks
This.



I love how dramatic TSR posters are with matters of breaking the law.


Thank you. Fact is, lawmakers are supposed to be a good representation of society. But they're not. Majority of them are quite old, white, rich, heterosexual. Jesus Christ, it wasn't that long ago when it was legal to rape your own wife. I don't agree with a lot of laws. We have all broken the law at least once, intentionally or unintentionally. I, many times. And guess what? NOTHING happened to me.

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