Panicked and Frightened”: Single Mother Dodges Jail After Framing Innocent Woman

A single mother of two, Juliann Quilligan, who framed an innocent woman by giving false information to the police, has managed to avoid jail after revealing her personal hardships.

Juliann Quilligan, 27, from Skelmersdale, Lincolnshire, falsely claimed to be Rebecca Williams when she was pulled over for illegally towing a trailer on the M62. Quilligan was driving her Mitsubishi L200 without insurance and remained silent as the police mistakenly added eight points to Williams’ driving license.

Quilligan explained that she became “panicked” and “frightened” when dealing with the police due to mental health issues exacerbated by her estrangement from the traveling community, which she fled in 2019 so her children could attend school.

The victim, Rebecca Williams, only discovered the wrongful conviction when she attempted to renew her car insurance policy. After an eight-month ordeal, Williams had the charges dismissed once the case was reopened. Despite the error being corrected, the damage to Williams’ life was significant, as she missed out on potential jobs due to her tarnished driving record and accumulated numerous parking tickets.

Quilligan’s scheme began on January 5, 2022, when she was pulled over by the police while towing a trailer on the westbound carriageway near Apollo Park in Warrington. She had recently moved from Galway, Ireland, to the UK. Williams alerted the police to the error, leading to an investigation that identified Quilligan as the culprit through CCTV footage. It was later revealed that Quilligan knew Williams through an ex-boyfriend, and the two had previously socialized together.

At Chester Crown Court, Quilligan faced up to two years in jail after pleading guilty to perverting the course of public justice. However, she walked away with an 18-month suspended sentence after disclosing that her third child was due in September. The maximum sentence for perverting justice is life imprisonment.

Prosecutor Shannon Stewart detailed the events: “The driver identified herself as Rebecca Williams, and checks showed that she was not insured to drive the vehicle. In May 2022, Rebecca Williams contacted an insurance company about obtaining insurance and was told that there was a marker on her license for driving without insurance and other motoring offences. Miss Williams was unaware of any motoring offences and contacted the DVLA, who advised her that she was convicted of having no insurance by Chester Magistrates Court.”

Stewart continued, “Miss Williams was shown the footage of the initial incident where she identified that it was not herself in the footage but was in fact the defendant, Juliann Quilligan. The defendant was known to Miss Williams, which is how she was able to identify her from the footage.”

Quilligan’s case highlights the severe consequences of her actions on the victim’s life, as well as the legal leniency extended due to her personal circumstances.