UK judge sentenced to 16 months in jail for lying

LONDON (AP) — A British judge has been sentenced to 16 months in jail after she was found guilty of lying to police investigating a politician's speeding case.

Constance Briscoe, a part-time judge and an experienced criminal lawyer, was convicted of three counts of trying to pervert the course of justice in the case of disgraced ex-Cabinet minister Chris Huhne, who tried to pin a speeding penalty on his then-wife Vicky Pryce.

Briscoe, 56, offered untruthful witness evidence in support of Pryce, a friend and neighbor, in 2011. Her jail sentence was double that of Huhne and Pryce, who were also found guilty of lying and each sentenced to 8 months.

Sentencing her Friday, Justice Jeremy Baker said Briscoe's conduct struck at the heart of Britain's criminal justice system.