Many parents are willing to do whatever it takes to keep their children happy. But some take this to a whole new extreme without care who the victims it may hurt. And as a result, the mums listed below have been punished for their crimes. They all lied to
police in a sick bid to help get their criminal children off. One mum, Janette Mercer, tried to cover up her son's murder of 11-yerar-old Rhys Jones. She then helped another of her offspring when they were wanted by police for dealing drugs. READ MORE: The thugs who thought they could change the outcome of court cases but paid the price Get
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WhatsApp Another mum, who was 80 at the time, took the rap for her son when he was caught speeding at over 100mph. The fact was however that Elaine Aiken had not driven in some time. Scroll down to read more about each case. Karen Wallis Karen Wallis A mum found guilty of attempting to pervert the course of justice as part of a horrific Nuneaton murder trial was released from
prison after less than four months. Karen Wallis was jailed for 15 months following a three-month trial. The conviction came after the same crown court trial that saw her son Dominic Wallis and his former girlfriend Elizabeth Ellis found guilty of murdering Nuneaton woman Dionne Clark. Miss Clark was restrained and beaten to death inside Dominic Wallis' home. Karen Wallis and her husband failed to tell the authorities that Miss Clark's body was lying in their son's home despite knowing for 12 hours before a 999 was eventually made. They then both told lies to police about the times they had seen the mum-of-four's killers on June 17, 2017. Click here to read more. Mary Smullen Robert Smullen murder trial - Mum Mary Smullen The family of a Perth man who died after being stabbed through the were “devastated” when his killer’s mum escaped jail for attempting to pervert the course of justice. Robbie Smullen was convicted of killing 22-year-old Barry Dixon. A jury at the High Court in Edinburgh rejected his defence of self-defence and returned a majority verdict of culpable homicide. Sentencing Smullen on Friday, judge Lady Carmichael said the killer had been “disinhibited by alcohol and the effects of sexual jealously”. The judge added that no sentence imposed could “repair or lessen the harm done to the family of Barry Dixon”. Smullen’s mother Mary Smullen (46) had been on trial alongside him, accused of pretending to police that Barry was stabbed by Shannon Beattie. During the trial she changed her plea to guilty to attempting to pervert the course of justice. Lady Carmichael ordered Mary Smullen to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work. The judge said Smullen’s “false information” did not lead cops on the wrong trail for “very long” but did lead to Ms Beattie being initially treated as a suspect. Click here to read more. Elaine Aiken Elaine Aiken An 80-year-old woman who took the rap for her son's speeding so he could keep his licence has been spared jail. Elaine Aiken, of Burslem, told police she had been driving on the four occasions her 54-year-old son, John Aiken, was caught breaking the speed limit. But police visited the defendants in connection with another matter and saw Elaine hobbling into her living room. She told officers she had not driven in years. However, officers discovered she had speeding tickets for vehicles relating to her son John. They looked at the pictures in relation to the speeding offences and realised the driver was in fact John. Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard that on one of the occasions, he was travelling at a staggering 105mph. Elaine was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for 12 months, and John was sentenced to six months, suspended for two years, with a rehabilitation activity requirement for 25 days. He was also hit with a 12-month driving ban. Click here to read more. Janette Mercer Janette Mercer (Image: Merseyside Police) A lying mum has started a nine month sentence after covering up her sons' crimes for a second time. Janette Mercer was previously locked up for three years back in 2009 for perverting the course of justice, having lied to detectives investigating the murder of Rhys Jones. Son Sean Mercer, then aged 16, shot and killed the 11-year-old in August 2007. Mercer was imprisoned again at
Liverpool Crown Court on Monday, February 6, after helping another of her children, Joseph Mercer, to remain at large while he was wanted for dealing drugs. The now 63-year-old allowed the fugitive to live with her while misleading the police over his whereabouts. Charlotte Kenny, prosecuting, told the court that his mother "knew he was wanted by police" in connection with this offence but allowed him to stay at her home on Daisy Street in Kirkdale during a six-month period in 2019 and 2020 "to impede his apprehension". Click here to read more. Joanne Pearson Joanne Pearson (Image: Hull Live) The mother of a jailed killer who left his friend Scott Akester dead after a single-punch attack during a bad-tempered confrontation in the street later tried to prevent her son's mobile phone being found by police and analysed. Michael Pearson was jailed on June 29 last year for seven-and-a-half years after he was convicted at Hull Crown Court of manslaughter. Mr Akester fell after a hard, unprovoked punch from Pearson and he hit his head on the ground with considerable force. This caused a fractured skull and swelling to his brain. Two front teeth were knocked out during the incident. He died in hospital later despite the efforts of hospital staff. Pearson, now 31, of Saltshouse Road, east Hull, denied the manslaughter of 31-year-old Mr Akester by unlawfully killing him on November 19, 2022 but he was convicted by a jury after a trial spanning three weeks that ended on May 18 last year. Pearson's mother, Joanne Pearson, 61, of Saltshouse Road, appeared before the same court and she admitted committing an act with intent to pervert the course of justice between November 17 and 20, 2022 by attempting to prevent the seizure of a mobile phone during a homicide investigation. Click here to read more. Bintu Conteh A woman was jailed for perverting the course of justice in relation to the murder of a 26-year-old man in Tilehurst. Bintu Conteh, 39, submitted a false police report claiming her mobile phone had been robbed as she sought to prevent her son from being implicated in the death of Raheem Hanif in 2021. Raheem was stabbed to death in Dulnan Close, Tilehurst, on February 6, 2021. Raheem's father was left with a broken arm in the same incident. Two men were sentenced to life in prison for murder and grievous bodily harm without intent, with one of those also found guilty of possession of a knife. Two other men were jailed for manslaughter and grievous bodily harm without intent. The phone Conteh filed a report about had regularly been used by her son Sheku, now 19. He was jailed for four years after having been found guilty of manslaughter and grievous bodily harm. On February 8, 2021, Bintu called 999 and claimed her mobile phone had been stolen. She maintained this lie in a bit to prevent Thames Valley Police officers from linking the phone to Sheku. In a trial at Reading Crown Court which concluded on May 24, a jury unanimously found Conteh guilty of one count of perverting the course of justice. Returning to the same court on August 2, Conteh was sentenced to eight months imprisonment. Click here to read more.