Drunk warehouse worker, 31, is fined £180 for wasting police time after downing 12 cans of lager and a pint of vodka and falsely claiming her wife’s mother had chased children with a knife
- Jasmine Torrence tried to frame mother-in-law Yvonne Hughes after a family row
- The 31-year-old falsely claimed Mrs Hughes was threatening people with a knife
- But when police arrived they found no knife and realised she had done no wrong
- It was found Torrence had made the call after a petty argument with Mrs Hughes
A drunk warehouse worker has been fined £180 for wasting police time after she falsely claimed her wife’s mother had chased children with a knife.
Jasmine Torrence had downed 12 cans of lager and a pint of vodka at a friend’s birthday party when she called police and told them her mother-in-law Yvonne Hughes was covered in blood and using a blade to threaten her neighbours.
Police rushed to the scene after the 31-year-old made the false report on March 23, this year, in relatiation after the pair argued over her stepson’s iPhone.
When officers arrived they realised they had been tricked, and mistakenly arrested Torrence’s wife, Kelly, as the call had been made from her mobile phone.
It was only after the mother-of-two spent a night in custody and was played a recording of the 999 call that Torrence was revealed as the person who made the report.
She later admitted wasting police time and making a malicious phone call in an effort to get back at her mother-in-law after a petty family row over an iPhone.
Torrence, from Widnes, Cheshire, had faced being jailed for up to six months but was freed after making a grovelling apology and Mrs Hughes gave a character reference saying her daughter-in-law had shown ‘great remorse’.
Jasmine Torrence (pictured) called police to claim her mother-in-law was running around covered in blood and holding a knife
When police arrived add Yvonne Hughes’ (pictured) address they found no sign of any blood or a knife, and realised it had been a false call
Officers then mistakenly arrested Torrence’s wife, Kelly (pictured left with Torrence right), after it was found the call was made from her mobile phone
Warrington Magistrates’ Court heard the phone call was made to police after Torrence had accidentally locked her stepson out his new iPhone and Mrs Hughes criticised her.
Angela Blackmore, prosecuting, told the court: ‘It was March 23 and information was received about a concern regarding a neighbour who was self-harming and who was caring for two children aged two and four.
‘She was chasing the children around with a knife and was cutting herself. ‘It is the most blood I have ever seen,’ the caller said.
‘The caller said the person lived next door and was chasing somebody with a knife. She said that the person had smashed a window with her head. There was blood everywhere.
‘Police attended and spoke to the person occupying the house where the allegation had been made.
‘The person was not self-harming, there were no children and there was no suggestion of any damage.
‘In discussion she said she didn’t know why the police were there or who would make such a call.
‘As it had been indicated that it was the people next door who made the claim, the police knocked next door but there was no answer.
‘The original phone call was checked and it was traced back to the daughter of the person who was supposed to be chasing children with a knife.’
The court heard that when police went to Torrence’s house, they found the phone and a message from Cheshire Police on the device confirming a call had been made from it.
Torrence initially gave a statement to police denying it was her, and Kelly was then arrested and spent a night in the cells.
Torrence made the phone call after a petty row with her mother-in-law about her stepson’s new iPhone
The true identity of the person who made the false report was only revealed when Kelly (pictured right) recognised the voice of her wife (left) in a recording of the call
In a police interview the next day a recording of the 999 call was played, and a police officer and Kelly recognised the voice as being Torrence’s.
The defendant later attended the police station for a voluntary interview.
‘She admitted making false calls and wasting police time, and providing a false statement to police,’ Mrs Blackmore said.
‘She could have been charged with a lot more serious offence, of perverting the course of justice which would have led to a crown court case.’
In her interview Torrence revealed she made the call after having an argument with Mrs Hughes and that she was ‘drunk and wanted to get back at her’.
Mrs Blackmore said: ‘She admitted making up the story and admitted giving a false name.
‘She made clear she was using her wife’s mobile phone while her wife was out and she went on to take full responsibility.’
Torrence had a previous conviction from 2015 for assault on Kelly. The pair married in 2016.
Torrence was supported in court by her wife (pictured together), and was spared jail after making a grovelling apology
Warrington Magistrates’ Court heard Mrs Hughes (pictured) had written a character reference in support of her daughter-in-law
Anthony Derbyshire, mitigating for Torrence, said she was upset with how Mrs Hughes spoke to her after the defendant locked her stepson out of his phone.
Her lawyer Anthony Derbyshire said she had been upset at the way her mother-in-law had been speaking to her after blaming Torrence for locking her stepson out of his iPhone.
He said: ‘She makes one telephone call. There are three telephone calls in total, two are made back to her by the police operator.
‘The background stems from a criticism made of her by her mother-in-law Yvonne Hughes.
‘She tried to set up a phone for her stepson and put on facial recognition and passwords but ended up getting it completely wrong and blocked the phone.
‘She had to take it into town to get the phone reset and reinstalled. The mother-in-law made some comments about that, saying she should have left it.
‘That’s something that the defendant struggles with, criticism of herself. She would say this goes back a long time. She suffered from bullying in her school years and has suffered from anxiety and depression over a long period of time.
‘Without clear thought under the influence of alcohol she decided to make a call to police and after making the call, things escalated quite quickly.
‘She found herself in a situation where she did not know how to get out of it. The police attended quickly and quite quickly established it was a malicious communication.’
The court heard the row erupted after Mrs Hughes criticised Torrence (pictured here outside court with her wife Kelly). Defence lawyers said Torrence ‘struggles with criticism of herself’
Mrs Hughes told the court what Torrence did was ‘wrong and silly’, but that her daughter-in-law ‘has gone a long way to fixing the relationship and changing her outlook in life’
Mr Derbyshire added that Torrence was ‘clearly intoxicated’ and had ‘consumed at least 12 cans of larger and about a pint of vodka’.
He said: ‘Ms Torrence and her wife had been celebrating with a friend, the friend’s birthday, and she drank a considerable amount of alcohol.
‘She said she would not have committed this offence had she not been drinking alcohol on that date. She is genuinely remorseful and regretful for her actions.’
Mike Isherwood from the probation service told the hearing: ‘She said that she had an argument with her mother-in-law earlier in the day when she was tipsy and continued drinking after her mother-in-law left.
‘After her wife went to check on a friend, she made the impulsive decision to pick up the phone and call the police. The consequences were severe because it was the wife who was arrested and detained overnight in the cells. It has impacted on the family greatly.’
Giving a character reference for her daughter-in-law, Mrs Hughes said: ‘It was wrong and silly. But she has gone a long way to fixing the relationship and changing her outlook in life. I’m grateful for her apology.’
Declining to send Torrence to prison, Magistrate Katherine Whitaker said: ‘We have listened to everything that’s been said about the circumstances of the offence and the impact that it had on everybody concerned.
‘It would have been a prison sentence but for your guilty plea and your remorse.
‘However this sentence takes something from you to commit to this as well, to take advantage of the rehabilitation being offered today, and we hope that you will take hold of that with both hands.’
Torrence was instead fined £180 was ordered to complete a 12-month community order and will pay £175 in costs and victim surcharge.
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