Witness who lied in Tain court avoids jail time
A MAN who told lies in court to protect a friend escaped a prison sentence at Inverness Sheriff Court yesterday (Tuesday).
Greg Meechan (27) committed perjury in a trial at Tain Sheriff Court in 2012.
He was told this week by Sheriff Margaret Neilson that she was just narrowly persuaded not to send him to jail.
Instead Meechan, who now lives at Caley House, in Millburn Road, Inverness, was ordered to carry out 300 hours of community service.
Meechan, formerly of Jubilee Drive, Tain admitted stating in evidence in a trial of John Currie at Tain Sheriff Court on May 4, 2012 that he had not been in the company of Currie whilst in possession of motorcycles on a public road on April 22 when in fact he had been in his company.
Depute fiscal Roderick Urquhart said Meechan was arrested on April 22 and as a result of what he told police Currie was arrested and prosecuted.
But when the case went to trial both were taken to Tain court in the same transport and when Meechan was giving evidence on oath he said he had lied in his statement to police.
Mr Urquhart said in his evidence Meechan told the court he never saw John Currie that night, adding: "I was intoxicated with drugs. I told a lie to get revenge on John Currie".
Mr Urquhart said as a result of Meechan’s evidence the case against Currie, who was facing charges of driving while disqualified and without insurance, collapsed.
"There were three police witnesses who saw him with John Currie that night," he said.
The fiscal added: "As a consequence of his evidence there was insufficient evidence to proceed against John Currie."
Mr Urquhart said the only other matter of note was Currie winked at Meechan when he was waiting to take the oath.
Defence agent Shahid Latif acknowledged at Tuesday’s hearing that custody would be uppermost in the sheriff’s mind for such a serious offence.
But he pleaded for a non-custodial sentence and said there were factors about the case which would allow the court to take such a course of action.
Referring to the social background reports before the court, Mr Latif said his client was no longer associating himself with people he kept company with at the time of the offence and he presented no identifiable public risk.
"At it’s highest this was, on his part, a misguided sense of loyalty to his friend and a disregard for the law. He was somewhat immature and ought to have known better."
Mr Latif also referred to Meechan’s "relative" lack of previous offending and the fact he had never served one before.
Sheriff Neilson told Meechan his solicitor was correct that the starting point for sentencing for such an offence would be custody.
"If witnesses came to court and perjured themselves on a regular basis the court system would grind to a halt," she said.
She said it was a very serious offence but in law the court could not impose a custodial sentence if there was another appropriate sentence available.
The sheriff said she acknowledged since the offence Meechan had changed his life around and the report before her was a very positive one.
"I am narrowly persuaded that the court cannot say there is not an alternative to prison," she said.
