‘I need a mega favour’ – man admits trying to bribe friend to lie to police
A 20-year-old man offered his friend £300 to lie to police for him after asking him for “a mega favour”.
Instead the friend showed the police the message, landing Daniel Johnson in hot water.
Johnson, from Sullom, had been spoken to by police in relation to a separate minor traffic incident involving his girlfriend on 8th December 2023.
They asked Johnson how her car had got from Lerwick to Sullom, and he lied that it had been taken there on the back of a trailer.
He was “initially reluctant” to tell police who had transported the car, Lerwick Sheriff Court heard today (Wednesday).
But eventually he named his friend and gave police his contact number.
When police spoke to the man, he “denied all knowledge” of the incident.
And he then received a Snapchat message from Johnson in which he said: “I need a mega favour”.
He offered the man £300 to lie to police that he had taken the car from Lerwick to Sullom on a trailer.
Police were shown the message and returned to speak to Johnson, who admitted: “I lied”.
Johnson admitted falsely representing how the car had got to Sullom, and perverting the course of justice by asking his friend to lie for him. The incident happened while he was out on bail.
His sentence was deferred for the preparation of background reports, and he will return to court on 8th May.
