Last updated 15:47, Wednesday, 09 July 2008

A FALSE claim of assault in Barrow town centre led to an innocent man being arrested and put in a police cell.

Preston Crown Court heard yesterday that the couple who made the complaint persisted in the story by making witness statements to police. But CCTV footage showed that Kevin Scanlon was innocent.

Isobel Thompson and Iain Campbell were prosecuted for perverting the course of justice and given suspended prison sentences.

The court heard at the time of the incident Campbell was working as a doorman at Yates’s Wine Lodge and Thompson had gone to see him. Mr Scanlon and his girlfriend had also been to the premises last October.

Miss Jennifer Blewitt, prosecuting, said that a false allegation of assault was made on October 9. Both defendants made statements to police.

Thompson claimed she had been punched in the face and kicked on the ankle by Mr Scanlon two days earlier.

Campbell supported the allegation, saying he had helped her away from the scene and that she had been badly injured.

Miss Blewitt told the court: “Mr Scanlon was arrested by the police and interviewed. He was kept in custody for about five hours and then subject to police bail for almost two weeks.”

A different picture emerged when police checked CCTV footage. The defendants, Mr Scanlon and his girlfriend had been chatting outside the pub door.

The prosecution said an argument appeared to have followed between Mr Scanlon and Thompson, during which she lost her temper and slapped him, before Mr Scanlon walked away with his girlfriend.

Miss Blewitt added: “Mr Scanlon accepts in his interview being slapped by Thompson and pushing her, or knocking her arm out of the way. The slapping was the full extent of what occurred.”

The defendants were arrested later that same month. Campbell told police he had heard a commotion at the door and had seen Thompson on the floor, with Mr Scanlon stood over her and his girlfriend pushing him away.

Campbell said he was sure he had not deliberately lied in his statement, but in parts, he may have been mistaken.

Thompson told police she believed she had been slapped and assumed it was Kevin Scanlon. She had hurt her ankle at the scene.

The following morning she had tried to piece together what had taken place and came up with the story that Kevin Scanlon was responsible, said the prosecution. She accepted that it was a lie.

The judge, Recorder Jeremy Lasker, called the offence a serious matter.

Thompson, formerly of Barrow, but now of Chilton Court, Scotforth Road, Lancaster and Campbell, of Ramsden Street, Barrow, both aged 24, pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice. Both were given six months prison sentences, suspended for a year and 12 months supervision.

Thompson will be on a two-month long curfew from 8pm to 8am. Campbell was ordered to do 100 hours unpaid work for the community.