False claims over threats
Neighbours’row ends in court
FALSE allegations of fire threats during a bitter spat between warring neighbours saw an innocent woman arrested on her 30th birthday.
Scheming Jacqueline and Colin Steel made up stories about another couple in their cul-de-sac, saying they had threatening arson and petrol bomb attacks on their home.
The malicious claims saw mum Amanda Peverley spend part of her landmark birthday behind bars, and her partner, John Miles, was also quizzed by police.
The Steels’ unfounded claims were eventually exposed as lies by CCTV cameras.
However, by then, police had wasted 145 hours investigating the allegations and Miss Peverley and Mr Miles were left traumatised by their ordeals after being falsely accused.
Newcastle Crown Court heard the Steels had claimed Miss Peverley and Mr Miles had stood on a grassed area outside their homes at Allendale Square, Sunderland, and shouted the arson threats in October 2015.
But prosecutor Angus Taylor said CCTV and audio footage from a camera on one of the neighbouring houses “obliterated” the story and showed Miss Peverly actually on the phone to Northumbria Police, making a report about damage to her car.
The court heard the video and audio footage showed “absolutely no threat whatsoever” being made to the Steels.
Mr Taylor said; “It shows Amanda Peverley walking around the grassed area, not going anywhere near the vicinity of the house owned by the Steels.”
In a victim impact statement, Miss Peverley said she had plans to celebrate her birthday on the day she was arrested and added: “My youngest child cried for two hours that day – he was frightened I had been taken away.
“I became nervous and anxious, scared of more allegations, and that I would be arrested again.”
Mr Miles, who was questioned but not arrested, said he was “angry and upset”.
He added: “I cannot believe anyone could make a false statement to such an extent that my partner was arrested and I had to speak to the police.
“If not for the camera, we would both probably have ended up in court and possibly lost our house.”
Jacqueline Steel, 55, and Colin Steel, 57, both of Allendale Square, Sunderland, admitted perverting the course of justice but both walked free.
Judge Robert Spragg told them: “There is obviously a difficult background here concerning Amanda Peverley and John Miles in a cul-de-sac where there appears to have been ongoing dispute.
“The local authority fixed a camera. It was that camera that revealed the lies you were telling about Miss Peverley and Mr Miles. You described threats being made by them, threats to commit criminal damage by burning your premises down or using petrol bombs.
“Those are serious allegations which could carry custodial sentences.
“You gave descriptions of what they were doing, which have been proved to be entirely untrue.
“It may well be you have had serious and genuine problems with your neighbours but the way you went about it was not the way to deal with it at all.”
Both were sentenced to 27 weeks, suspended for 18 months, with a threemonth night-time curfew.
Jonathan Harley, mitigating for Jacqueline Steel, said there had been a history of complaints from “both sides” between the warring neighbours about anti-social behaviour and criminal offences.
He said Steel was at her “wits end” and had had false allegations made against her, including claims that she was behind the damage done to Miss Peverley and Mr Miles’ car, which was untrue.
Mr Harley said the mum, who has previous convictions in the distant past, has been a law-abiding citizen for the last 20 years and has lived at her home for 23 years.
He added “She has always got on very, very well with the neighbours in the area.
“They had a very nice community spirit. It is just unfortunate she has been embroiled in what turned out to be such an acrimonious dispute with the complainants.”