Hairdresser wanted to 'help out' policeman accused in shoplifting case
The partner of a police officer accused of assaulting a security guard after shoplifting from a supermarket hatched a plan with her hairdresser to provide a false statement in a bid to stop him losing his job, a court has heard.
Richard Pendlebury, 42, a custody officer with Greater Manchester Police is accused of putting £24 worth of clothes into a child's changing bag as he and his partner shopped in Asda with their children.
Pendlebury, who has been a serving officer for over 20 years, is said to have "grabbed" Asda security guard Naseem Sher outside the Pilsworth store in Bury upon being asked to come back into the supermarket.
Preston Crown Court heard that as Zoe Wilkinson, 30, had her hair done, she told hairdresser Natalie Leicester that she had been the one who had been assaulted and that Pendlebury had tried to defuse the situation.
The hairdresser was instructed to take a pre-typed statement to police saying she had witnessed the events.
The court was told Pendlebury had been brought to the attention of the store's security after he was witnessed eating a sandwich that had been taken from the shelves before, the prosecution says, putting the items of clothes into a bag.
He denies theft and assault on September 19 2014, and further denies one count of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice between September 18 2014 and April 9 2015.
Pendlebury also denies two charges of intending to pervert the course of justice along with Wilkinson who faces the same two charges between the dates of December 27 2014 and January 1 2015.
The court heard that Wilkinson had told her hairdresser that she had suffered a panic attack in the store before being accosted by Mr Sher.
Miss Leicester, giving evidence, said Wilkinson had told her that he had "grabbed her arm" and Pendlebury had been arrested.
Wilkinson was to tell Miss Leicester that the CCTV from the store had "gone missing" and that the security guard was pressing charges.
Upon hearing Wilkinson's version of events, Miss Leicester said she felt "very upset for her" believing, "Rick and Zoe had no leg to stand on".
She added that the two women "came to the idea" that she could have been at the store and could, in her words, "help out".
She was asked what was agreed and said she had believed Wilkinson's account.
She replied: "I wanted to help my friends.
"That I would say that I was a witness to what happened. I was to go to her house to do a witness statement to say I was there and saw what happened."
She told the court that when she attended at the couple's home a typed statement was waiting on the kitchen table and she was to take it to Rochdale police station.
Miss Leicester added that Pendlebury had been in the house when she had been there.
The statement, which was read to the court heard how Miss Leicester claimed she had been at Asda when she heard "screaming" and saw the security guard "grabbing" at Wilkinson's arm as she held her baby as she shouted for him to get off her.
It claimed she had not known Pendlebury's name but that he had put his hands up as if gesturing at the security guard to stop.
The statement added that Wilkinson "crying, ran off in front of some oncoming cars with the security guard chasing her".
She said she believed that by giving the false statement "it would all just go away and that would be it".
A text message read to the court from Wilkinson to Miss Leicester read "let the games begin".
The court heard that Miss Leicester was later asked to provide another statement and subsequently arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice which she pleaded guilty to.
