'Crash lie' father fails to win freedom

A father jailed for four months for lying to the police over a road accident failed yesterday in an appeal to be reunited with his family. David Whitehead's wife, Patricia, was freed last month, for the sake of their three young sons, after serving three days of her two-month sentence for backing up his false story.

But the Court of Appeal yesterday refused Mr Whitehead leave to appeal, ruling that his prison term was "entirely justified". He is expected to be released from Winchester prison in about a month.

The couple, from Brockenhurst, Hampshire, were jailed at Winchester Crown Court for attempting to pervert the course of justice. Mr Whitehead, 47, a computer programmer, told police his wife was driving the family car when it collided with a motorcycle last August. But he was driving and concocted the story fearing he would lose his licence and put his job at risk. His wife, 32, was persuaded to give the same account.