A man is facing prison after pretending he was a solicitor to bluff his way into a police station.

James Mangan told officers at Abingdon Police Station he was representing a man being held on suspicion of domestic violence on August 4 last year.

Afterwards he tried to persuade the alleged victim to drop the charges, Oxford Crown Court heard yesterday.

Mangan, 39 from Blue Mountains, Wallingford, admitting attempting to pervert the course of justice after initially denying the offence.

The defendant and another man, John Evans, were given passes and ushered to the custody suite during their visit to the Abingdon branch.

They were allowed to speak to arrested man Keith Bailey until police officers realised neither men were actually legal professionals.

When they ordered the pair to leave, Mangan becoming angry, the court heard.

He and Mr Evans then visited the house of the domestic violence complainant, Mr Bailey’s girlfriend Jemma Brant, and tried to convince her to drop the charges.

Jonathan Stone, prosecuting, said: “Mr Mangan approached the counter and introduced himself and said he was representing Keith Bailey.

“He was asked if he was a solicitor and said ‘I’m the MD of Mangan Associates.

“He explained that Mr Evans was with him and a visitor’s badge was prepared.”

When officers went to interview Mr Bailey a member of custody staff told them he was in an interview room with his solicitor, despite the fact he had not requested one.

The officers asked Mangan and Mr Evans for identification and when they could not produce any were asked if they were trained solicitors with Mangan replying “I am”.

Mr Evans confessed that he was not.

The pair left and then went to visit Miss Brant. Mangan said she could instead just get an injunction against Mr Bailey, then called the police and told them that she wanted to change her statement.

Mr Evans and Mangan then drove her to the police station. Mr Bailey was later acquitted following a trial in January.

Mr Evans, 43 also of Blue Mountains, Wallingford, was told he would not face trial and a not guilty verdict would be entered for him yesterday.

Mangan, was previously found guilty of intimidating a witness at Oxford Crown Court in 1999, the court heard. Graham Bennett, defending, said Mangan had not set out to evade the law, and had gone to the police station because he knew Mr Bailey and Miss Brant.

“He saw himself as helping out what he considered to be two friends,” he said.

Judge Eccles told Mangan that his actions had crossed the custody threshold. He adjourned the case for Mangan to be sentenced on June 1.