Back  |  Email to a Friend  |  Print  |   Send in Your Comment

Cheryl's brother in car crash crime

It is easy to forget that the glamorous Cheryl Cole originally hails from a crime-ridden council estate in Newcastle, but her older brother Andrew keeps demonstrating just how different Cheryl's life could have turned out if she hadn't become one fifth of Britain's biggest girlband.

Andrew Tweedy, who has more than 70 convictions and is facing a jail sentence for spraying CS gas into a man's face, is said to have stolen a friend's car and crashed it - and asked Cheryl to pay for the repair.

The 28-year-old 'borrowed' Lee Parker's £9,000 Audi without his permission after the two men had been drinking at a mutual friend's house and crashed it.

After taking in the considerable damage Andrew is believed to have thrown away the keys and left the vehicle at the side of the road. Panicking about yet another criminal charge, especially with his upcoming sentencing, Andrew begged Lee not to go to the police.

Lee agreed to keep quiet about the incident if Tweedy paid for the damage, but a skint Andrew couldn't afford the pricy repair work.

Lee said: "All the tires were popped, the wheels were smashed to bits, the wing and the bumper were hanging off. It was a total mess.

"He begged me not to tell the police. He said he'd fix the car and rang his mum to get Cheryl to 'sort it'."

But Cheryl, who is said to be sick of bailing out her troubled brother, has refused to pay.

In his desperation Andrew alledgedly tried to convince Lee to commit insurance fraud by pretending the car has been stolen.

"He came up with this crazy idea of 'losing' the car. But apart from the fact that it's illegal, my car is my pride and joy. I don't want it burnt out. I will go to the police now.

"Now he says there is nothing he can do as Cheryl won't help him out. I don't blame her."