A man has been jailed for nine months after he admitted lying in evidence to a magistrates’ court.
Leeds Crown Court heard that two years after Stewart McKean claimed to have seen a neighbour’s ex-partner throwing a slap of concrete through her window, he confessed he was actually “on his bed getting stoned.”
Louise Pryke prosecuting said the case began on February 14, 2013, when police received a report about a window being smashed at an address in Fairfield Road, Huddersfield belonging to a woman who was then a neighbour of McKean.
The suspect at that time was the woman’s former partner who was charged with the offence and went to court. McKean gave a statement that he had seen a male walk up the path and throw a large paving stone through the window.
He named the male as the woman’s ex-partner and repeated that evidence on oath at court.
That man was convicted, given a supervision order and the court ordered he could only see his son while supervised.
Miss Pryke said McKean now admitted he had lied in court because he thought his neighbour needed protection. The woman involved denied she had any conversation with him about lying.
Yunus Valli, representing McKean, said he realised it was a serious case and “custody will be at the forefront of the court’s mind.”
But he said McKean was now off drugs and getting his life in order and doing charity work. “If it wasn’t for him going to the police station and confessing this crime there would be no evidence at all.”
At that time he said his life was manipulated by others. The court heard McKean had 34 convictions for 83 offences mainly of dishonesty.
McKean, 48, of Holme Park Court, Berry Brow, admitted perjury.
Recorder Patrick Palmer told him “This was a truly awful thing to do. It had the effect this man was punished for a crime he did not commit.”
