A BESOTTED young mum who helped provide her theft suspect boyfriend with an alibi has walked free from court.

Hayley Farr, 32, told police she and Andrew Burfield had been on a weekend away in Llandudno, where they had got engaged, but in reality, she had been working all the time in a supermarket.

Farr fought back tears at Burnley Crown Court as a judge said people normally went to prison for what she had done, but he was quite satisfied she was under Burfield's influence.

Judge Raymond Bennett said Burfield, who was recently cleared of stealing a car from his former boss, told a pack of lies to police and admitted himself he was an untruthful person.

The defendant, of Greenacres Road, Read, who was of previous good character, was given a 12 month community rehabilitation order, after admitting attempting to pervert the course of justice. Burfield was recently jailed for 12 months after pleading guilty to a similar allegation.

John 0'Shea, prosecuting, said a car was stolen from Redline Motors, Accrington and later sold through Loot for £2,700.

Burfield, who had worked at the firm, was suspected of selling the car, but told police he had spent the weekend with Farr in an hotel in Wales. Farr supported that and told officers they had got engaged that particular weekend.

Police made checks and found Farr had been working at a supermarket all weekend.

Mr 0'Shea said the Crown accepted Farr had been put under a certain amount of pressure to go to police and provide a false alibi. Burfield told her nothing would happen to her if she did so.

Farr later said she knew what she was doing was wrong but had done it in his best interests.

Mark Stuart, defending, said Farr and Burfield no longer had anything to do with each other.

Farr's young son had been looked after her mother while she worked, but her mother had now had to go into sheltered accommodation and the defendant had given up work to look after her child. She had suffered medical problems as a result of the proceedings.