A 26 year old mother of four was cleared of drink driving in ambiguous case. Could a Manchester Polygraph Test have provided clarity?

Have you ever been involved in an accident where it’s one person’s word against another? If so a Manchester polygraph (lie detector) test may help you prove your side of the story.

A lie detector test could have helped clarify the truth more quickly in the case of the 26 year old mother of four from Manchester who crashed her sports car and was later found to be four times over the legal alcohol limit.  According to the driver of another car in the collision, she seemed to be slurring her words and was unsteady on her feet but he could not smell any alcohol. The accused claimed she went to a friend’s house after the accident and drank triple vodkas to calm her nerves. A Manchester polygraph test could have been able to quickly ascertain whether alcohol was drunk before or after the accident.

Four times over legal limit

The male driver called the police who tracked her down to her home an hour later where she tested four times over the legal limit. She explained that she had offered to settle for £1000 as her insurance premiums were high due to driving a sports car and being young, but the offer was declined and she agreed to give her insurance details. She said she felt intimidated; cars around her were beeping, she said the other driver was aggressive and her children in the car were screaming. She felt they were not getting anywhere by trying to sort it out at the scene.

She went straight to a friend’s house to calm down and asked for a strong drink. Her friend poured her a triple vodka with a dash of coke which she quickly consumed before asking for a second drink and then she arranged a lift home. With a Manchester polygraph test she could have cleared her name more quickly, potentially avoiding the subsequent court hearing that was to follow. 

Polygraph test could have avoided Court Hearing

The case was heard at Tameside Magistrates Court five months later where the accused broke down in tears. She explained that she panicked and felt like a bad mum having alcohol but she was only at her friends’ house for 15-20 minutes before being taken home –  long enough to have two incredibly strong drinks. She stated that she had not had any other drinks that day. The court recognised that it had been an emotional situation, with both sides appearing aggressive towards each other. Children were in one car and a heavily pregnant woman was in the other. This understandably added to the stress and emotion felt on both sides. Five months of anguish and worry between the incident and the court hearing  ensued. This could have been avoided had a Manchester lie detector test been used to clarify events. 

Verdict – not guilty

The prosecutor claimed his client “gave a breathtakingly honest account about the incident. He was always going to be angry and upset. This lady was said to be distraught whilst her animated friend gave her a drink. It does not pan out.”

The defense lawyer claimed ”The two of them had a conversation lasting 5-10 minutes and whilst there were some suspicions she was drunk, this was not a certainty and alcohol was not smelt. She has never been in trouble before.’

In clearing the driver, the chairman of the bench, said ”The prosecution has not proved beyond reasonable doubt this case. There is insufficient evidence to prove you were over the limit at the time of the incident or at the time of consuming alcohol. We therefore find you not guilty.”

Prosecutors questioned the verdict but were reassured by the court.  The court believed the case had not been proved beyond all reasonable doubt.  The court furthermore stated that they were not prepared to go into it anymore.

If you find yourself in an ambiguous situation like this, you could use a lie detector test to obtain clarity. Using a test could prevent months of worry and stress by revealing the truth. If you think a Manchester lie detector test could help you, please call  07572 748364.