A 37-year-old Suffolk man accused of lying to the police following a police chase which ended in a crash has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Nicholas Faux, of no fixed address but of the Stowmarket area, admitted attempting to pervert the course of justice by contacting police in July 2021.

He had tried to claim to police that he was the driver of a vehicle following an incident of dangerous driving on June 26, despite a woman already admitting to the offence.

Claire Matthews, prosecuting at Ipswich Crown Court on Thursday, said that police had pursued a car which was driven dangerously and at excessive speed by a woman in the Mildenhall area of west Suffolk in June 2021.

The car had collided with another vehicle resulting in serious damage to both vehicles.

The woman driver was arrested and had subsequently admitted dangerous driving.

While she was waiting to be sentenced, Faux had contacted police and claimed he had been driving the car and not the woman.

Faux had then continued to claim he was the driver during police interviews, despite the woman already admitting the charge.

Faux was given a five-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and a 40-day rehabilitation activity requirement.

Isobel Ascherson, for Faux, said what her client did was doomed to failure as police officers had seen a woman behind the wheel during the chase and had seen her get out of the car after the crash.

Sentencing Faux, Recorder Jeremy Benson, said attempting to pervert the course of justice was a serious offence.

However, he said the woman driver had pleaded guilty before Faux falsely claimed he had been driving the car and the course of justice hadn’t been perverted.