Two sisters sob as they are jailed for framing brother-in-law after he made ‘tummy tuck’ joke about their weight
TWO sisters wept as they were jailed for framing their brother-in-law after he made a tummy-tuck joke about them.
Helen, 44, and Michelle McPartland, 51, falsely claimed Graham Potter had breached a non-molestation order taken out against the older sibling.
Graham had walked past Helen’s car with his partner Alicia, who is Michelle’s other sister, amid an ongoing family feud.
He then responded to an insult Helen made, saying “did you hear the tummy tuck brigade?”, which was made in reference to an op Michelle had, Liverpool Echo reports.
The following day, Graham was at a football match when his partner called him saying he was wanted by the police.
He attended Widnes Police Station, where he was arrested on suspicion of breaching a non-molestation order after both sisters lied about Michelle being in the car with Helen.
After being advised by his lawyer to plead guilty, Graham was handed an eight week sentence suspended for a year.
Helen and Michelle wept as they were jailed for ten months each after admitting perverting the course of justice.
The younger sister could be heard wailing “I’m going to prison” before she was taken from the dock at Liverpool Crown Court.
The court was told the rift erupted when Helen and Michelle were kept out of their late mum’s will.
On August 6 last year, Graham and his wife were walking in Widnes with their dog when they spotted Helen’s car parked nearby.
The couple then walked away in the opposite direction when they saw Michelle due to the order Graham was subject to.
When they walked past Helen’s car, he made the jibe about tummy tucks before leaving the area with Alicia.
Graham was later told he had breached the order after the sisters falsely claimed Michelle was also in the car.
Isabella Denn-White, defending, said: “They have held their hands up to this offence. They tell me they are extremely remorseful.
“The dispute in the family started when the sisters were left out of their mother’s will. The defendants accept their wrongdoing.
“There has clearly been tit for tat going on between both sides of the family. The defendants describe being at breaking point.”
Sentencing, Judge David Swinnerton branded the dispute “pathetic”.
He added: “This was a bare faced lie, deliberately told to get Mr Potter arrested and to make it look like he had committed a criminal offence. I do not know if Mr Potter has appealed his conviction, but he should – that should not be on his record.
“It is only because his wife would not let the matter drop that this eventually came to light, not thanks to you admitting it. You were quite happy to allow all I have described to happen to Graham Potter.
“You must have planned it, knowing full well it would result in a false conviction. Thankfully he didn’t actually go to prison, but he had a suspended sentence hanging over his head.”