Couple cleared of attempting to pervert the course of justice following death of Carol Boardman

Both the driver accused of causing the death of Carol Boardman by dangerous driving and his wife have been cleared of attempting to pervert the course of justice. It was alleged that the two had deleted records from their mobile phones in the wake of the cyclist’s death.

Carol Boardman, the mother of world and Olympic champion turned cycling campaigner Chris Boardman, died in July 2016 from injuries sustained after being hit by a pick-up truck driven by Liam Rosney, in Connah’s Quay, North Wales.

As well as a causing death by dangerous driving charge, which will now be tried in December, Rosney and his wife Victoria were charged with perverting the course of justice.

Mold Crown Court heard that the pair exchanged several phone calls in the run-up to the crash, the last one terminated an estimated four seconds before the collision.

According to a police interview with Rosney in November 2016, he claimed to have finished the phone call 30 seconds before the crash and also said that the phone was in hands-free mode.

Detective Sergeant Laura Griffiths of North Wales Police said that when she and two fellow officers went to the Rosneys’ home with the intention of taking Victoria Rosney’s mobile phone on November 22, 2017, no-one was in.

DS Griffiths phoned Rosney, who told her she was at work and would need to ask permission to return home.

DS Griffiths then received a phone call from Peter Rosney, Liam Rosney’s father – a senior officer with North Wales Police.

She told the court that Peter Rosney was of the view that she could not turn up at Victoria Rosney’s workplace.

When she and fellow officers did so, Victoria Rosney told them her phone was on her desk but when it could not be found there, said that a colleague had it.

One of her co-workers told the court that Rosney had given her the phone before meeting police, but denied she was hiding it for her.

The BBC reports that yesterday Judge Rhys Rowlands directed jurors to return not guilty verdicts on the perverting the course of justice charges as he said they could not fairly convict either defendant.

He then set a December 17 date for a new trial for Liam Rosney for causing death by dangerous driving and an alternative charge of causing death by careless driving.

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