Drink-driver faked identity to escape conviction

A young woman who faked the identity of her cousin throughout an entire court process in a bid to escape a drink-driving conviction has been jailed for perverting the course of justice.

Chanel Stevens, 24, cried as Judge Robert Wolff, sitting in the Tauranga District Court, sentenced her to six months' jail. The judge said the lie was revealed when Stevens' cousin received a letter from Work and Income referring to the drink-driving conviction.