Times caption: Kate Woodhead, 39, claimed she was blind and had a brain tumour to avoid justice

Our thanks to Nick for this piece in The Times today, emphases ours:

A woman jailed for falsely accusing her boyfriend of rape has been sent to prison again for killing a man in a drink-drive crash.

Kate Woodhead, 39, had tried to avoid justice by claiming that she was blind, disabled and suffering from a brain tumour. She fooled psychiatrists who ruled her unfit to stand trial but her lies were uncovered when she was spotted working behind the bar of a pub.

Woodhead had driven at 75mph along a 40mph road while over the alcohol limit. Trevor Smith, 53, who was in the passenger seat, died instantly when she lost control of the Audi A3 and hit a tree in Rusper, West Sussex, last May. She had 105mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood. The limit is 80. She had earlier admitted causing death by dangerous driving. Yesterday she was jailed for nine years by Hove crown court and banned from driving for ten years.

Jade Downey, 34, Mr Smith’s eldest daughter, [J4MB: The eldest of four daughters] said: “She is a heartless woman. Our dad always saw the best in people but in trusting Woodhead he made the most dreadful mistake. It cost him his life.”

Woodhead, from Horsham, West Sussex, made the rape claims in 2009 when Paul Joseph, 39, tried to end their 18-month relationship. She claimed that the £200,000-a-year IT consultant had carried out the attack after giving her a crisp sandwich laced with drugs. She was jailed for three years for inventing the story as well as charges of theft and fraud. [J4MB emphasis]

After her release she met Mr Smith, an engineer, and they became friends and would drink together in pubs.

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