Shropshire murder inquiry time waster jailed
A 49-year-old man has been jailed for four years after wasting police time during a murder inquiry.
Robert Paul Williams, of Alness Road, Whalley Range, Manchester pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice at Birmingham Crown Court.
He was charged after calling police who were searching for the killer of Trevor Bradley who died in Shropshire in 1994.
Williams made an anonymous call to police on 27 October 2009 implicating another person in the murder.
Williams was charged in September 2010 and appeared for sentencing on Tuesday.
He was sentenced to 30 months imprisonment for perverting the course of justice, 12 months for three unrelated fraud offences and a further six months for breaching conditions relating to a previous matter.
Det Con Steve Williams, from West Mercia Police, worked on the investigation to trace the killer of Trevor Bradley.
He said: "A lot of resources were given to investigating the person Williams had told us about. He wasted an awful lot of police time.
"We would like to thank all those genuine callers who pass on important information to West Mercia Police throughout the year - Williams is in the minority.
"This man committed a serious offence and we hope the sentence passed will act as a warning to anyone else who is considering taking such an ignorant course of action."
Robin Ligus, 58, was charged last year with the murder of Trevor Bradley and two other men in 1994.
He appeared at Birmingham Crown Court on Monday when his case was adjourned for later this year.