Man who made up 'malicious lie' about his pal is locked up

A MAN falsely accused a friend of an armed robbery as an act of “revenge”, a court has heard. The complaint led to a significant police investigation and to his mate spending 14 hours locked up in a cell. When Anthony Merriman’s story began to unravel he started lying about having a brain injury.

- JASON EVANS Court and crime reporter

A judge at Swansea Crown Court said the defendant had told “malicious lies” and wasted police time, and he told the 52-year-old what he had done had been “wicked”.

Ashanti-Jade Walton, prosecuting, told the court that the defendant and a man by the name of Adam Phillips spent the night of January 8 last year socialising together.

However shortly after midnight Mr Phillips contacted police to say Merriman had assaulted him.

The court heard that Merriman was arrested and interviewed on January 14 before being released.

After reviewing the allegation police decided to take no further action, and Merriman was told of the decision on January 16.

The prosecutor said on the evening of January 16 Merriman dialled 999 to say Mr Phillips and an unknown male had just robbed him.

Officers went to Merriman's house later that night and took statements from him in which he went into details about what had happened. The court heard he told officers that the robbers had threatened him with a screwdriver, and that the implement had been put into his mouth with Mr Phillips threatening to stab him in the cheek.

The prosecutor said Merriman told the officers he was “shook up” at what happened and she said he was “visibly shaking on the settee” while speaking of the officers. Merriman then described his assailants and described the clothing they were wearing.

The court heard Merriman then gave the officers what he said was the screwdriver used in the robbery, saying it had been discarded and he had recovered it.