PREJURY:
Perjury,
also known as forswearing, lying under oath or lying on oath,
is the willful act of swearing a false
oath
or
affirmation
to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to
a judicial proceeding.[1]
That is, the witness falsely promises to tell the truth about matters which
affect the outcome of the case. For example, it is not considered perjury to lie
about one's age unless age is a factor in determining the legal result, such as
eligibility for old age
retirement
benefits.
Section 1(1) of the
Perjury Act 1911 states '...[who] wilfully makes a statement material to that
proceeding which he knows to be false or does not believe to be true shall be
guilty of perjury...and shall on conviction thereof on indictment be liable to
imprisonment for a term not exceeding seven years, or to a fine or to both...'
Seven years is therefore the maximum sentence - which is reserved for the most
serious cases and after a full trial at that - and, in the Crown Court, fines
are unlimited.
The likely sentence will depend on all sorts of things particular to your
individual case: the extent of the fabrication and the reasons behind it, its
effects on the proceedings, the inability to 'put right the wrong' and so on;
and so it is impossible to answer your question fully.
The likely outcome in the case of a finding of guilty to a charge of perjury is
a term of imprisonment (maximum 7 years),
