Fraud investigator lied to cover up his stepson’s crash
ASTEPFATHER and son lied to police about a car being stolen from outside the family home in order to cover up a drunken crash.
An intoxicated Oliver Cartwright drove his car into a tree after a day and night drinking beer – but then he and his mother’s partner, accountant and fraud investigator William MacMillan-Jones, began to spin a web of lies to cover up the smash and the resulting driving ban.
However, police became suspicious of their story and launched an investigation which resulted in the pair being charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice and ending up facing prison.
Swansea Crown Court heard that Dwr Cymru worker Cartwright spent the afternoon and evening of July 18, 2020, drinking at the White Swan pub in Llanonn, Ceredigion, with friends, and by his own admission the 36-year-old was very drunk.
In the early hours of the following day he was collected by MacMillanJones in his Mercedes and driven back to the family home, a farmhouse near the village of Ciliau Aeron.
Shortly after getting home, an intoxicated Cartwright got into his Nissan Almeria, which was parked in the yard outside the house, and drove off to see his girlfriend, but crashed the vehicle just 600 yards away. Cartwright – who has a conviction for driving with excess alcohol – then made his way back home, leaving his smashed car at the roadside.
At 5am that day 76-year-old MacMillan-Jones rang police to report the theft of Cartwright’s car from outside the house.
He told officers he had heard the vehicle being driven away and, once he had checked his partner’s son was asleep in bed, he had gone looking for the stolen car as he knew it was virtually out of petrol and the thieves could not have gone far.
MacMillan-Jones said he subsequently found the smashed-up car in a nearby lane. Police attended the scene of the crash and then went to the family home, where Cartwright was in bed, apparently asleep. He was woken by MacMillan-Jones, who told him his car had been stolen and a police officer wanted to chat to him.
However, due to discrepancies in the stories the two men were telling an investigation was launched.
A forensic examination of the crashed Almeira found Cartwright’s DNA on the deployed air bag in the vehicle, and mobile phone use and site cell analysis showed extensive phone communications around the time of the crash which appeared to be inconsistent with the stories the pair were telling.
The defendants maintained their false version of events right up to and during their trial in January this year.
Oliver David Cartwright and William MacMillan-Jones, both of Ciliau Aeron, Ceredigion, had previously been convicted of attempting to pervert the course of justice when they appeared in the dock for sentencing. Cartwright has a previous conviction for driving with excess alcohol, while MacMillan-Jones is of previous clean character.
David Singh, for Cartwright, said the defendant was in a long-term relationship and had children, and he said references before the court showed his client to be an industrious man.
James Hartson, for MacMillanJones,
said his client disagreed with the jury’s verdict and maintained his innocence but understood his barrister, and the judge, would have to be faithful to that verdict.
He said the defendant was a highly respected accountant and fraud investigator, and his conviction for perverting the course of justice had already cost him his reputation and his successful business.
Recorder David Harris sentenced Cartwright to eight months in prison – he will serve up to half that period in custody before being released on licence. He was also disqualified from driving for three years, with the ban extended by an extra four months on top to account for the time he will be behind bars.
MacMillan-Jones was sentenced to six months in prison suspended for 18 months and was ordered to compete 100 hours of unpaid work.