Disgraced police detective who delayed her drunk son's arrest by his own father after head-on crash with ambulance is jailed
A disgraced police detective who plotted with her two children to delay her drunk son's arrest after he was involved in a head-on crash with an ambulance has been jailed.
Police had effectively launched a manhunt for Macauley Sanna, then 18, after the crash in Paddock Wood, Kent, but his mother, Michelle Sanna, 51, and sister Mollie, then aged 19, worked together in a bid to delay his arrest.
Instead of staying at the scene, Macauley fled on foot, leaving behind his girlfriend, and immediately sought help from his mother and sister following the crash in the early hours of March 5, 2022.
They claimed not to have had contact with him or to have known his whereabouts, even when he was at the family home. Phones were also switched off for several hours to avoid detection.
At the heart of their offending was an ultimately successful attempt to prevent the teen, who had been drinking beer and spirits prior to the crash, from being subjected to alcohol testing and potential drink-driving-related charges.
It was not until 16 hours after the collision that Macauley was finally detained with the assistance of his father, himself a serving officer with the Metropolitan Police.
When police arrived at Michelle's home she told them she did not know where her son was suggesting he may have gone to see friends.
She also claimed her phone was out of charge when officers asked her to ring Macauley and, later that day, saying she was 'frantically' searching for him.
Police had effectively launched a manhunt for Macauley Sanna, then 18, (pictured left) after the crash in Paddock Wood, Kent, but his mother, Michelle Sanna, 51, (pictured centre) and sister Mollie Sanna (pictured right) worked together in a bid to impede his arrest
Judge Daniel Stevenson told her that Michelle, who had been a detective sergeant for 29 years, had not only played a leading role in the conspiracy, one that she 'could have ended before it began'
The court heard she attempted to stop officers from entering her home, knowing her son was either inside or in the grounds, by feigning sleep and being slow to respond when they arrived at her door about an hour after the crash.
Mollie's lies to police included claims to be asleep when officers had knocked at the front door, and having had no contact with her brother nor any idea where he was.
Michelle, Macauley and Mollie Sanna, who all live in Five Oak Green, Tonbridge, subsequently admitted conspiracy to pervert the course of justice - an offence carrying a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
At their sentencing hearing on April 8, the single mother of two was described by her lawyer as having made 'a stupid decision motivated by misguided protectiveness'.
However, Judge Daniel Stevenson told her that Michelle, who had been a detective sergeant for 29 years, had not only played a leading role in the conspiracy, one that she 'could have ended before it began'.
The judge added that she had also 'influenced' her children, 'co-ordinated' what was happening between them and used her 'knowledge and experience' of collision investigations.
The court heard Macauley, now 22, had been drinking up to less than 30 minutes before he decided to set off for a drive with his then girlfriend as passenger.
She later told police she considered him to be drunk and had twice told him to slow down before he lost control on the country lane at around 1.30am, crashing into the ambulance and causing head, neck, back, hand and knee injuries to the crew members.
Macauley, who was later found to have suffered a fractured spine vertebrae, fled from the scene and promptly made repeated attempts to contact his mother before calling his sister.
Within 20 minutes, both women were aware of the situation he was in, said prosecutor Tom Worden, and all three were embroiled in their plot to keep him out of police reach.
The court heard that attempts by officers trying to locate Macauley as part of the crash investigation, including repeated visits to the family home, were met with 'evasiveness and deliberate deceit' from both women.
Mr Worden explained it was not known how Macauley found himself back at the family home, whether he had made his way on foot or had been picked up.
'But he was certainly kept out of the way of police who were shortly to start looking for him by, among other things, attending the family home,' he added.
The court was also told that when Macauley's girlfriend went to the house at 10am to collect her belongings, she had found him in bed 'moaning about his back'.
Mr Worden said that when she remonstrated with him for leaving her at the crash, his response was to ask if she wanted him to go to prison for drink-driving.
Mollie, who was also present, then added: 'What else could Mac have done as he would have been in so much s***.'
Macauley was finally arrested at 5.45pm at Pembury Hospital after being taken there, seriously unwell from his back injury, by his father, Mark Sanna.
The court heard Kent Police had initially contacted Mr Sanna at 1.15pm about his son's whereabouts, leading him to call both the teen and his ex-wife, Michelle.
She then arranged a rendezvous, suggesting Chipstead Sailing Club car park as a meeting place and telling Mr Sanna: 'That way there is no way you can be connected to this or get into trouble. May be risky coming to the house.'
Mr Sanna, who kept both Kent Police and his superior officer updated as to what was happening, later gave a statement in which he spoke of how, despite the 'great anguish' he felt, his job required him to 'do the right thing'.
When subsequently interviewed about the ambulance crash, Macauley gave a prepared statement which was said to 'almost mirror' details in an earlier Snapchat message from his mother.
It made no mention of alcohol, described the road as wet from rain and stated that, having hit the other vehicle, he panicked and was disoriented.
He added that he did not remember anything else until he woke that afternoon.
The deceit continued two months later when police were told his phone had been damaged or lost in the accident, only for the device to be found in a wardrobe at the family home.
Although all the defendants' phones were seized, Mollie, now 24, was the only one to subsequently provide her PIN so the device could be analysed.
However, police also gathered evidence of the contact between the three, such as timings of calls and locations, through cell site and network data.
When interviewed about the bid to delay Macauley's arrest, the siblings gave 'no comment' responses while their mother denied any involvement.
She also gave what the judge described as a 'self-serving and dishonest' account to the author of her pre-sentence report following her guilty plea.
During the hearing, it was revealed that Macauley was later prosecuted in respect of the collision for careless driving and failing to provide details.
But it was said that had he been found to be over the drink-drive limit, he could have faced harsher charges, including causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
Barristers on behalf of all three defendants urged the court to spare them immediate custody.
Lucy Luttman, defending Michelle Sanna, spoke of how the former detective had been nearing retirement on a full police pension when she behaved 'selfishly and foolishly' instead of 'setting an example' to her children.
Describing her actions as 'an aberration', the lawyer said: 'She did a great deal of good [in her job] but that now means nothing.
'She will be remembered for what she did wrongly but at the time she thought she was protecting her son.
'She made a stupid decision, one she has regretted ever since.
'She may well have been a police officer but that was incidental and didn't play any particular part in this [conspiracy].
'This was her, as a mother, doing what she thought was right at the time and not a police officer making a calculated decision.
'It was a stupid, stupid decision motivated by misguided protectiveness and, once made, it very quickly spiralled.'
Tanya Robinson, defending Macauley, told the court he was 'extremely ashamed' of his actions that night, both leaving his girlfriend behind and then involving his family.
But arguing that his age and immaturity played a part in his 'ill-placed' decision-making and 'appalling behaviour', she said: 'His actions were entirely impulsive and he plainly didn't think through the consequences of his actions or the consequences of contacting others.
'What unfolded thereafter occurred in a short, highly-pressurised period where he was panicked, in fear.
'This was not the result of his planning to pervert the course of justice. This was a teenage boy, fearing he was in trouble, going to ground and hiding in panic.'
Mollie, who was said to have a borderline personality disorder, often broke down in tears during the proceedings.
Nathan Fitzpatrick, defending, submitted that her age and immaturity had also played a part in her 'unsophisticated, unplanned and fairly limited' actions.
Furthermore, he told the court she had demonstrated 'very clear' remorse and regret for 'wrongly trying to protect her younger sibling while following the guidance of others around her'.
Mr Fitzpatrick also explained how she had lost, by reason of her conviction, her 'dream' to work as a probation officer as well as opportunities to be a prison officer.
Passing sentence, Judge Stevenson told the defendants they had all made concerted efforts to delay Macauley's arrest because 'each knew he was likely to be significantly over the drink-drive limit' and wanted to ensure that by the time he was apprehended any breath or blood samples would be 'rendered obsolete'.
He also dismissed any suggestion their behaviour was 'a one-off event', citing how mother and son's later claims his phone had been lost or damaged were 'illustrative of the ease with which they were prepared to lie to frustrate the police investigation'.
But while he said it was possible to impose suspended sentences in respect of Macauley and Mollie, he told Michelle he would be failing in his public duty if he did not immediately send her to prison.
Jailing her for 15 months, Judge Stevenson said: 'You were in a position of significant responsibility as a police officer and as a mother.
'You could have ended it there and then, told police where Macauley was, told him to give himself up and warned him and your daughter that by trying to delay his apprehension you were committing a far more serious offence than drink-driving.'
Having rejected the argument, her job had played no part in her conduct, he continued: 'You are familiar with the processes involved in the investigation of collisions and related offences and you had sufficient knowledge to avoid detection if that was your intention - and I am satisfied that was your intention.
'You could have ended the conspiracy before it began. You could have telephoned the force for which you worked, reported what happened and identified to your fellow officers his whereabouts and phone number.
'You chose to maintain your lies, fully aware of the consequences, and involved your children. You lied to the people who were your trusted colleagues in Kent Police.
'The fact you committed this offence against public justice, as a serving police officer, using your knowledge and experience, makes your offending more serious even if you didn't commit it while on duty.'
Having told Michelle she would serve six months before being released on licence and subject to post-sentence supervision, Judge Stevenson gave her an opportunity to hug her tearful children goodbye before being led to the court cells.
Macauley was given an 11-month jail term suspended for 18 months with 160 hours of unpaid work, 20 rehabilitation activity requirements and an alcohol abstinence monitoring requirement for 120 days.
Mollie was handed a nine-month prison sentence, also suspended for 18 months and with 160 hours of unpaid work.
Following Michelle's guilty plea at the Crown Court in January this year, she was dismissed from her job without notice at a misconduct hearing the following month.
A report from proceedings published by the force stated she had allowed 'personal loyalties to override her duty', thereby resulting in 'serious harm to the reputation of policing' and a 'serious breach of both honesty and integrity in a situation where the public would expect her to do the right thing'.
