Man who tried to bribe witnesses with drugs jailed

A man who tried to help his son get away with a stabbing by convincing witnesses to change their stories in exchange for drugs has been jailed.

Lee Brooks, 56, of Mendip Close in Slough was jailed for 15-and-a-half years after pleading guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply class A drugs, conspiracy to convey a prohibited item into a prison, and perverting the course of justice.

Thames Valley Police said he tried to help his son get away with stabbing a stranger in July 2021.

Det Con Wayne Plowright said he was "very pleased" with the sentences.

The force said Brooks sought to convince vulnerable drug users who witnessed the assault to change their statements to police.

He also asked his friends to find a person with no previous convictions to provide a false statement, and tried to bribe the victim to pick out the wrong person in an identity parade, which the victim refused to do, police said.

The trial was postponed as a result, and a perverting the course of justice investigation was launched.

Two years after the stabbing, detectives also launched an investigation into Brooks and his involvement in drug-dealing in Slough.

He was charged on 18 July 2024.

Det Con Plowright, who led the investigation into the drug dealing, said he hoped it would send a "strong message".

"While no drugs were recovered; the evidence presented showed overwhelming proof of Brooks involvement in multi-kilo drug supply and due to this, he pleaded guilty on the first day of what would have been his trial," he said.

Det Con Patrycja Lesiakowska, who led the perverting justice investigation, said the case highlighted the lengths people would go to to obstruct justice.

"Lee Brooks not only provided a false statement to the police in an attempt to create a fake alibi for his son, but he also actively tried to recruit people with no criminal history to lie in court," she said.

"Brooks' manipulation extended to paying off key witnesses and supplying them with fabricated statements, all in effort to deceive the justice system."

She said TVP would "always take action" against people who tried to mislead the police.

You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.