A woman lied to police to protect her learner driver brother after he overturned his car in a late night crash on the Norfolk and Suffolk border, a court was told.

Louise Kerry arrived in Botesdale, near Diss, after the crash and told a police officer she had been in the car with her older brother Simon Musk when the crash happened, Ipswich Crown Court was told.

Musk, who was a provisional licence holder which required him to display "L" plates and to be supervised by a qualified driver, also told the officer his sister had been in the car with him, said Richard Witcombe, prosecuting.

"The prosecution say they both chose to lie because they knew Simon Musk had been driving that vehicle unaccompanied and was liable to be prosecuted for driving otherwise than in accordance with his licence," said Mr Witcombe.

Musk, 31, of Church Close, Roydon, near Diss and Kerry, 28, of Ash Drive, Eye, have denied doing an act with intent to pervert the course of justice on July 4 last year, by falsely claiming she had been supervising his driving when he was involved in the accident.

The court heard that a blue Vauxhall car driven by Musk ended up on its side after hitting a parked Jaguar car in the Market Place, Botesdale.

Witnesses who attended the scene after hearing a loud bang at around 12.30am said they saw Musk standing up in the vehicle with his head out of a window.

At his request they helped him out of the car and the police arrived on the scene shortly afterwards.

Mr Witcombe told the court that following the crash, Musk left the scene to make a telephone call and returned shortly afterwards with his sister.

Mr Witcombe said that, when a police officer questioned Musk about him being a provisional licence holder Musk told him: "But I wasn't on my own. My sister was in the car with me. I never said I was on my own."

He said when the officer asked Kerry if she had been in the car she replied: "Yes."

Mr Witcombe said that Musk and his sister had subsequently denied saying anything to the police officer to lead him to believe she had been supervising him in the car at the time of the accident.

The case continues.