Woman cleared over ex partner's fatal crash conspiracy

A woman has been cleared of involvement in a conspiracy to assault her ex-partner that resulted in a fatal crash.

Sean Burlton, 28, drowned when the car he was a passenger in left the road and ended up a ditch on Counter Drain Drove in Tongue End, near Bourne, Lincolnshire, in November 2023.

Burlton was in a Ford Focus that allegedly tried to ram a VW Touran being driven by his new girlfriend's ex-partner, Richard McMullon.

A jury at Lincoln Crown Court found Burlton's partner, Vanessa Gratton, 32, not guilty of conspiring to assault McMullon.

During the trial, jurors were played a 999 call made by McMullon as he was allegedly chased down Counter Drove Drain by the Focus and a Vauxhall Insignia.

Prosecutors said the Focus ended up in the water-filled ditch after attempting to cut up McMullon's car.

Gratton and Scott Biggs, who was a passenger in the Insignia, both denied conspiring with Burlton to cause actual bodily harm to McMullon on 22 and 25 November 2023.

Giving evidence, Gratton, of West Parade, Spalding, told the court she was "heartbroken" by the events of Burlton's death and was not involved in a conspiracy.

She explained she had been in a relationship with Burlton for about a month and that she was aware of aggressive messages between him and McMullon.

The court heard there was an ongoing dispute between Gratton and McMullon over custody visits.

She said she was aware of tensions between Burlton and McMullon, but insisted she did not provide information about McMullon's whereabouts or encourage any confrontation.

After two days of deliberations, the jury found Gratton not guilty.

Judge Simon Hirst told her: "You are free to go."

Jurors could not reach a verdict on Biggs, who later pleaded guilty to playing "a late role" in the conspiracy.

He told the court he had tried to discourage Burlton from confronting and following McMullon, warning it was "stupid" and "dangerous", and could end badly.

Bailey Fitzgerald, the driver of the Ford Focus, and Sam Johnson, who was driving the Vauxhall Insignia, previously admitted manslaughter and conspiracy to commit actual bodily harm.

Three other men, Max Prior, 21, of London Road, Spalding, Sam Clift, 35, of Brownlow Crescent, Pinchbeck and Josh Copnell, 22, of Rose Lane, Pinchbeck, also pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge.

Biggs was granted bail pending sentencing alongside the other defendants on a date yet to be fixed.

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