A MAN who provided a false alibi for an alleged attacker has been sent to jail for six months.

Burnley Crown Court heard how Duane Marcel Pickles Murphy, 24, made an untrue statement after police were put in touch with him.

Sentencing the defendant, Judge Raymond Bennett, who said he had "quite a volume of offences," told him with his experience of the courts, he knew he shouldn't be "doing this sort of thing."

The judge said he hoped Murphy would not do it again and added: "It would be a great relief to us all if you did not commit any more offences." The defendant, of Blucher Street, Colne, admitted attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Mark Stuart, defending, said Murphy knew it must be custody. It was very rare an offence of attempting to pervert the course of justice was dealt with in any other way.

The aggravating feature of the offence was that the man the defendant provided the alibi for had been charged with wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm.

Murphy could not claim duress and had not been offered money, but he had been put in a position where it had been made very difficult for him to decline.

Mr Stuart said the defendant had been caught very soon and was responsible for "10 minutes of perversion." When he was taken to the police station. He did not carry it on.

The barrister added: "He shouldn't have done it but he did. There is nothing like it on his record. He knows its going to be custody and that it has to be for a fairly short time."