A mother was declared a 'hostile witness' after lying in court to protect her son who pushed his girlfriend from a fourth-floor window in Chelmsley Wood, Solihull.
Son Jailed for Window Attack
Jordan Herring, 22, was jailed for five years last week after being found guilty of unlawfully wounding 18-year-old Bobbie Goodman at Merton House in November 2022. He was cleared of attempted murder but also convicted of coercive and controlling behaviour.
Mother's Changing Story
Herring's mother, Kerrie-Anne Grogan, dramatically changed her story during the trial. Initially, in a 999 call, she claimed her son had threatened her with a knife and prevented her from calling for help. She waited over an hour before calling emergency services after Bobbie plunged nearly 40 feet.
At trial, Ms Grogan completely refuted her earlier claims and insisted Bobbie had 'jumped' from the window. She became increasingly erratic in the witness box, frequently calling the prosecutor 'mate' and blaming her mental health for the change in her account.
Prosecutor Jamie Scott told Judge Simon Drew that Ms Grogan was being 'deliberately unhelpful' and had entered court with the intention of providing 'an account that would be favourable to her son'. The judge agreed, saying she was 'not desirous of telling the truth'.
Son's Testimony About Mother
Herring described his relationship with his mother as 'not very good', telling the court: 'She smokes crack cocaine, drinks, she used to do heroin. She was not a good person to be around growing up.' He called her 'embarrassing' and said his grandmother had raised him.
The defence argued Herring's character had been 'forged by his background' of parental trauma, drugs, alcohol and domestic abuse.
