Warwick woman's brakes cut by vengeful ex-partner

David Walker then gave the police fake evidence claiming a friend had been using his car on the night he carried out the sabotage.

Walker, 32, of Brendon Way, Nuneaton, pleaded not guilty at Warwick Crown Court to damaging his ex-partner Kate Gore’s Peugeot 307 with intent to endanger life.

But on the day he was due to stand trial at Coventry Crown Court, he pleaded guilty to an alternative charge of causing the damage being reckless whether life would be endangered.

Walker, who had earlier pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice, was jailed for a total of three years.

Prosecutor William Dudley said Walker and Miss Gore had been in a relationship for some time, and had two children together who were aged one and three.

After the relationship broke down, they remained in touch to arrange contact with the children.

But in the period leading up to the sabotage, her fence was set on fire and her Sky TV cable had been cut, although there was no evidence to link Walker to those acts.

Judge Philip Gregory commented: “I can’t take that into account, but she may wonder who on earth did it, if not him.”

Mr Dudley said that in August 2014 Miss Gore was planning to take the children on holiday to France for a fortnight in her car, so on Friday August 1 she took it to Arbury Peugeot in Leamington for a service.

On Sunday August 3, she was out in the car when she noticed the brakes ‘did not seem quite right.’ She decided to take it back to the garage on the Monday.

But as she drove towards the roundabout by Warwick library the brakes failed completely.

When Walker was first questioned he said he was at home on the night the brake pipe had been cut.

But when he was questioned again after a camera spotted his car being driven that night, he produced a diary in which he had recorded for that night ‘Jock using car.’

That was disproved after police spoke to ‘Jock’ and were satisfied he had not used Walker’s car. Walker later admitted trying to provide a false alibi.

The court heard that in an impact statement, Miss Gore said she suffered from nightmares and always tests her brakes before driving off.

Lee Masters, defending, said Walker had successfully completed a community order imposed two years ago for harassment of Miss Gore and hoped for a suspended sentence.

But Judge Gregory told him the offences were too serious for anything other than immediate imprisonment.