A police officer who lied about being the victim of domestic abuse at the hands of her ex-lover and force colleague has avoided being sent to prison
PC Amanda Aston, 43, of Surrey Police had reported false allegations of control and abuse against former Sergeant Matt Taylor, in February 2017, to her colleagues.
Her cruel lies led to him being dismissed from his job and serving two months in prison for breaching bail conditions which Aston had herself encouraged him to do, and then reported him.
Evidence later showed Aston had withheld key information from the original investigation team and the case against Mr Taylor was dropped and he was released from Winchester Prison.
On March 23 she was found guilty of counts of perverting the course of justice and one count of fraud following a three-week trial at Maidstone Crown Court but she has avoided being sent to jail.
Kevin Baumber, defending, said her police career was over and added any immediate custody would result in her young daughter having to be cared for by Aston’s 81-year-old mother.
On imposing an 21-month jail term suspended for two years, Mr Justice Cavanagh told the child was the one ‘exceptional’ factor which saved her from going to prison.
The judge added: “I have come to the view the adverse effect on your child, and on your relationship with her, of a sentence of immediate custody, would be so damaging that the sentence should be suspended
"Though childcare responsibilities are not an automatic passport to a non-custodial or suspended sentence, it is only with the greatest reluctance the court sends to prison the single mother of a young child, and I am satisfied the interests of justice do not require me to do so in your case.”
Aston must carry out 100 hours of unpaid work as part of her sentence.
The pair had been on uniformed response units but working separate shifts when they first met in October 2016, the court heard.
Her relationship with the then Sgt Taylor began just a few months after he had married and he left his wife three days after Christmas Day 2016.
The pair moved in together in March 2017 and Aston first made her false accusation in the September of the same year after a row over her gluten-free diet at a wedding.
The investigation included 23,000 messages between the pair which showed Aston had lied about his behaviour and she had made false statements.
Aston had worked at the Guildford police station and had made a 57-page witness statement and a video recorded interview against her former partner.
Her false claims included that Mr Taylor grabbed her throat during sex and spoke about another officer, as well as “relentless bullying”.
She said she lost her hair and would cry herself to sleep.
Five days after completing her lengthy witness statement, she gave him tickets to Ronnie Scott’s jazz club in London as a surprise 30th birthday present and told him she ‘loved him more than anything in the world’.
The prosecutor told the jury: “Amanda Aston was saying one thing to Mr Taylor and another to police.
“She told him she didn’t want this prosecution, it was out of her hands, she loved him and couldn’t live without him. Meanwhile, she was telling police he had contacted her and turned up at various locations unwanted.
“Sadly, the truth was she was encouraging him to meet her, arranging the dates with him, and giving him the addresses of her new homes.
“Those lies may have had less importance but for the fact Mr Taylor was arrested again as a result and spent two months in prison, locked in a cell for 23 hours a day.”
Mr Taylor was not at court for today's sentencing but letters he wrote to his family while in prison were read out by the prosecution.
He described feeling ‘thoroughly rejected’ by Surrey Police and that his personal and professional lives were ‘in ashes’, with people believing he was ‘a monster’.
He wrote: “I have lived a life of turmoil recently, not knowing what to do....seriously struggling mentally and I have been anxious and terrified.”
Mr Taylor told Surrey Live he was completely blindsided by his arrest and false claims by his ex lover and that policing had meant “everything” to him.
He said: “I was very good at it. I used to be an extremely confident individual
“It all ended so suddenly. My reputation was destroyed overnight.”
“This deep pit of anxiety I have felt every morning I wake up for the past 5 years has finally relinquished its hold on me.
“I’m still extremely angry about the wrongs that were done, and these need to be put right for me to have closure.”
Chief Superintendent Tom Budd earlier said: "The guilty verdict today follows a challenging and complex investigation against one of our serving officers which uncovered the web of lies Aston had constructed purely because she knew the impact it would have on Mr Taylor.
"As well as having to serve time in prison, Mr Taylor also lost his job as a police officer and his reputation was left in tatters as a result of her lies.
“The messages between them showed that she was telling him one thing – that she didn’t want to support a prosecution and that she loved him and couldn’t live without him – while she was telling police something completely different by saying he had contacted her and turned up at various locations unwanted, including one of the addresses she said she had to move to in order to get away from him.
"Allegations of domestic abuse against any of our officers or staff are always fully investigated and we would always support any officer or member of staff who is a genuine victim.
“Sadly, on this occasion, this was not the case.”
Ch Supt Budd added: “Criminal offences committed by our officers and staff simply cannot be condoned. Allegations against any of our officers or staff are always subject to a thorough investigation by our Professional Standards Department to ensure that those who do not meet the high standards expected of them to in order to maintain public trust and confidence are dealt with swiftly and robustly.
“Now that the court case has concluded, we will be taking disciplinary action against Aston which will determine whether she has breached the policing standards of professional behaviour.”
