Murderer’s mother is jailed for perverting the course of justice

THE mother of a Newport murderer who burned his clothing and contacted witnesses in a bid to help her son evade justice has been told she will be jailed.

Catherine Coslett, 64, helped Richard Wallis, 43, who was jailed for life after kicking Jan Jedrzejewski in the head in Newport on January 12.

She was found guilty of two counts of perverting the course of justice at Newport Crown Court in October, but was originally spared jail. However, judges at the Court of Appeal, in London, today said her crimes were so serious that she must go to prison – and sentenced her to two years in jail.

Coslett, of Valley View Road, Cwmtillery, will have to hand herself in at Newport Police Station by 2pm tomorrow.

The court heard Wallis had phoned his mother while he was in custody, asking her and his daughter to burn items of his clothing and footwear as he was worried about “cross-contamination”. They burned everything except for one sock, which they missed, that linked him to the attack through DNA traces.

He also told his mother to contact key trial witnesses and intimidate them into changing their statements. The calls were recorded and police were able to use them as evidence against Coslett.

Her original sentence was referred to the Appeal Court by the Solicitor General, Robert Buckland, who argued it was “unduly lenient”.

Locking her up for two years, Lady Justice Hallett said her crimes were too serious for her to avoid prison, despite her poor health.