Sisters cry and wail as they are jailed for framing their brother-in-law for a crime he didn’t commit after he dubbed them the ‘tummy tuck brigade’ during tit-for-tat family feud
- Helen, 44, and Michelle McPartland, 51, falsified allegations during a family feud
- They acccused their sister’s husband Graham Potter of a crime he didn’t commit
- The two women were both sentenced yesterday to 10 months in prison each
Two sisters wept and wailed in the dock as they were jailed for framing their brother-in-law for a crime he did not commit.
Helen, 44, and Michelle McPartland, 51, from Widnes in Cheshire, made up the false allegations amidst an ongoing family feud, which was sparked when they were left out of their late mother’s will.
Graham Potter, 52, was wrongly convicted of a criminal offence when the sisters falsely accused him of breaching a non-molestation order after he dubbed them the ‘tummy tuck brigade’.
Michelle had previously secured the order against Mr Potter, the husband of her sister Alicia, banning him from contacting or approaching her and claimed that he breached this in August last year.
However, Judge David Swinnerton said ‘this was a bare-faced lie’ and sentenced both women to 10 months in prison each after they admitted perverting the course of justice at Liverpool Crown Court yesterday.
Helen (pictured), 44, and Michelle McPartland, 51, framed their brother-in-law for a breaching a non-molestation order
Helen and Michelle (pictured) made up the false allegations amidst an ongoing family feud, which was sparked when they were left out of their late mother’s will
Christopher Hopkins, prosecuting, described how Mr and Mrs Potter were in Widnes town centre with their dog on August 6 last year and were walking in the direction of Widnes Market when they spotted Helen McPartland’s parked car nearby.
Mr Potter went into the market, leaving the pet with his wife. When he returned, they saw Michelle – of Lea Street – walking along the road and decided to leave in the opposite direction as a result of the order he was subject to.
They then spotted her again on the other side of the building and returned to where they had started.
The couple walked back past Helen’s car at this stage, with Mr Potter reporting that she commented ‘the wrong sister died’ as they did so.
At this, he replied ‘did you hear the tummy tuck brigade?’, which was said to be a reference to Michelle, who had undergone the procedure.
Mr and Mrs Potter then left the area. The next day, he was at a football match when Alicia contacted him informing him that he was wanted by the police.
Mr Potter subsequently attended Widnes Police Station, where he was arrested on suspicion of breaching a non-molestation order after both sisters had made statements falsely alleging that Michelle had been present in the car.
Mr Potter was told there was a video of the incident which had been filmed by Helen, but it was ‘not available for him to see’.
He was then brought before Warrington Magistrates’ Court on August 9 charged with the offence.
His solicitor ‘viewed the footage and advised him to plead guilty’, which he did as there was a ‘chance the matter might end up in the crown court’ otherwise, and was handed an eight-week imprisonment suspended for a year and told to complete 80 hours of unpaid work.
Isabella Denn-White, defending both sisters, told the crown court this week: ‘They have held their hands up to this offence. They tell me they are extremely remorseful.
‘The dispute in the family started when the sisters were left out of their mother’s will. The defendants accept their wrongdoing.
‘There has clearly been tit for tat going on between both sides of the family. The defendants describe being at breaking point.’
Both women admitted perverting the course of justice and were sentenced to 10 months in prison each at Liverpool Crown Court (pictured) yesterday
Ms Denn-White stated that Mr Potter had followed her clients at the cemetery where their mother is buried two days previously shouting ‘tummy tuck brigade’, and that the police had advised them to film any further encounters with him.
She added that Helen McPartland – of New Bank Road – has four children and is a full-time carer to one who is ‘profoundly deaf’ and suffers from learning disabilities while grandma Michelle is a carer for her co-defendant, who has ‘chronic’ kidney disease.
Both women admitted perverting the course of justice. They were locked up for 10 months each.
Michelle McPartland was seen wiping a tear away as she learned her fate, while Helen appeared stunned and said ‘I’m going to prison’.
She could then be heard wailing hysterically in a back room as she and her sister were taken down to the cells.
Sentencing, Judge David Swinnerton said: ‘It is sad to see you before the courts out of a family dispute which had been going on for some time and arises out of a will.
‘There has been a lot of name calling and unpleasantry between the two sides, some of it quite pathetic.
‘Some of it wants me to tell you to grow up. This has gone way beyond tit for tat.
‘This was a bare-faced lie, deliberately told to get Mr Potter arrested and to make it look like he had committed a criminal offence.
‘I do not know if Mr Potter has appealed his conviction, but he should – that should not be on his record.
‘It is only because his wife would not let the matter drop that this eventually came to light, not thanks to you admitting it. You were quite happy to allow all I have described to happen to Graham Potter.
‘You must have planned it, knowing full well it would result in a false conviction. Thankfully he didn’t actually go to prison, but he had a suspended sentence hanging over his head.’
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