Ex-BigLaw Partner Accused of Faking Kidnap to Avoid DUI Case Gets 12 Months, Loses Driver's License
A former partner of Allen & Overy and Macfarlanes has been sentenced to 12 months in prison for claiming to police he had been kidnapped in an apparent effort to avoid a possible driving-under-the-influence case after driving his Range Rover off the road.
“I doubt a drink-drive conviction would have led to this but any conviction of perverting the course of justice is serious,” said Judge Guy Anthony as he lowered the boom on Francis Bridgeman, 43, at Lewes Crown Court on Friday, the Daily Mail reports.
“Oh, What a tangled web we weave, When first we practice to deceive,” the judge added, quoting from a famous poem by Sir Walter Scott.
Bridgeman also lost his driving privileges for 18 months and was fined.
Legal Week and the Telegraph also have stories.
The account Bridgeman gave to police about the accident reportedly fell apart when closed-circuit television footage from a train platform around the time of the accident told a different story.
Hat tip: Above the Law.
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Ex-BigLaw Partner Collapses in Court as Judge Warns of Likely Jail Time for Drunk-Driving Case Lies”
