A MONMOUTH woman who gave a false alibi for her then partner after he was involved in. high-speed car race that killed another driver has escaped a jail sentence.

Lucy Alexander, 23, of Carbonne Close, Monmouth, pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice by giving Lyndon Parsons a false alibi for a collision on the B4226 at Sling near Coleford which killed mum-of-two Terri-Ann Matthews who was travelling in the opposite direction

Parsons, 26, of Smithville Close, St Briavels admitted the same charge of giving a false account of his whereabouts to investigating officer PC Thomas Jones.

He was jailed for eight years at Gloucester Crown Court on Friday (March 22) while the man he was racing, Tom Hill, of Walford Avenue, Ross was jailed for seven-and-a-half years. Both admitted causing Ms Marshall’s death by dangerous driving.

Kate Roxburgh, for Alexander, said: "She is very remorseful. She became involved only because of her relationship with her then partner and went along with what he told her to say to the police. "Perverting the course of justice was not something she had planned. It was carried out in the context of the moment. It was a major error of judgement on her part. It is very obvious that she was acting under direction. She herself was a victim of deceit. "I submit that any custodial sentence imposed could be suspended because imprisonment would affect others in her family. Her mother is seriously unwell as she is undergoing cancer treatment and she is looking after her siblings. This is on top of her working full time. "She has spent one night in custody, having been remanded overnight. She found the experience very frightening. It’s not a place she wants to return to."

At 5.11pm on the day of the collision, January 28 2022, Hill texted a woman telling her he had been involved in an accident and had smashed up his car.

She wasn’t unduly concerned when the call failed but, at 6pm she contacted Alexander and asked if all was well?

She was told that Hill was still at the scene of an accident where a woman had died.

Parsons told police he was driving a Seat car with Alexander as his passenger after leaving his vape shop in Coleford.

“This was a fabrication”, said Mark Worsley, prosecuting.

“Parsons was warned that CCTV had been made available which showed the presence of a silver VW Golf. Parsons then admitted driving the Golf and said he had lied because he knew it didn’t have an MOT.

"Parsons went on to say that after the collision he drove off and made his way to Bream to pick up Alexander, where she lived at the time, and returned in her car to the scene of the collision. He denied that he had been driving dangerously. "At a later interview Parsons admitted lying to the police officer at the scene of the collision. It was a spur of the moment decision, he said, and had not been pre-planned. He denied driving at speeds in excess of 90mph or racing.” Alexander told the police she was travelling from Coleford to St Briavels in the company of Parsons after she had picked him up from his shop in the town, and having driven through Sling they heard an almighty bang behind her and saw a blue Fiesta spinning out of control across the road. She later explained that what she had stated was only partially true, but admitted travelling from Bream after Parsons had appeared at her home address and they returned to the collision site in her car.

Mr Worsley added: “"Parsons left the scene to avoid getting into trouble on a number of counts, namely racing and having no MOT or insurance. When he did return to the collision scene he and Alexander lied to police officers about the exact circumstances and gave false statements. "Both men are responsible for Ms Marshall’s death.”

Robin Shellard, for Hill, said his client had undergone a number of operations on his back but had nevertheless attended court in person as he didn’t want to dishonour the court or the deceased. He felt it was important to be present to face up to the consequences of his actions, he said.

At a previous hearing last summer the court was told Hill had to appear on a video link from home because he was still not fit to attend court and was effectively bed-bound. He claimed that his injuries had rendered him virtually immobile. However, the court was told, just two days later, on July 14 2023, he was given a lift to Birmingham airport to travel to Northern Ireland and was caught on CCTV carrying a rucksack and walking unaided.

Mr Shellard continued "Any sentence passed for this offence cannot begin to address the great loss suffered by Ms Marshall’s family. Nobody can understand what they have gone through. The effects on Hill pales into insignificance compared to that felt by her family. "The value of Terri-Ann’s life should not be gauged by any sentence passed. My mitigation should not be viewed as an excuse, but an explanation.”

Conrad Gadd, for Parsons, said: “"Parsons regrets what he did now. He said this was a fundamental huge misjudgement, inconsiderate, selfish and stupid. But at the time these things didn’t occur to him. He is remorseful. "Parsons pleaded guilty and realises he was cowardly in not telling the truth in the first place. His concern at the time was to avoid being prosecuted for not having an MOT.”

Sentencing Alexander to a nine month prison term, suspended for two years Judge Ian Lawrie KC told her: "You foolishly got involved through your partner when you were not in the knowledge of the full facts. "What you did was a very stupid thing to have done. This offence crosses the custody threshold. I acknowledge that your are working full time and have the additional responsibilities of looking after your mother and your siblings." The judge ordered that Alexander undertakes 200 hours of unpaid work and pay a contribution towards court costs of £500. He also ordered the deprivation of Parsons’ VW Golf.