Suspended sentence for false rape accuser whose lie prompted a major police investigation

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Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Suspended sentence for false rape accuser whose lie prompted a major police investigation

Follow up to our post HERE. A suspended sentence. Lovely.

A young Deal woman who falsely cried rape has avoided going to jail.

Rebecca Howard told police two men bundled her into a car and drove her to a car park in Walmer before one of the men raped her in the early hours of Sunday, February 6.

The 20-year-old's accusation prompted a major police investigation which proved the offence never happened.

Howard, of Prince of Wales Terrace, pleaded guilty to wasting police time when she appeared before magistrates in Folkestone.

She was given a four month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and told to carry out 200 hours unpaid work. She must pay £1,000 compensation to Kent Police and will be subject to a 12-month supervision order.

Det Insp Matt Banks from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, which investigated the rape allegation, said: "We take all allegations of rape very seriously and our priority is to get justice for genuine victims of rape.

"It takes considerable bravery for a rape victim to come forward to report a crime and we will always sensitively and thoroughly investigate all reported rapes.

"Our priority is always the victim and we would always encourage anyone who is a victim of this type of crime to come forward and report it.

"Howard abused this and her allegation caused heightened concern within the Deal community and involved considerable time and resources to investigate."

False rape claim woman could face jail !!!!

False rape claim woman could face jail

A WOMAN who falsely claimed she had been raped in the back of a bus in a car park could face a jail term.

Charlene Keilty (23) of Eildon House, Union Street, Inverness, ended in the dock of Inverness Sheriff Court charged with wasting police time with her allegations.

Keilty (23) of Eildon House, Union Street, Inverness, admitted on various occasions between August 23, 2009 and December 16, 2010 at Raigmore Hospital, Inverness, and the Corbett Centre, Coronation Park, Inverness falsely representing to people that in August last year at the car park at Cromdale Park, Cromdale she was dragged to the back of a stationary bus and was raped by the bus driver and caused officers to investigate claims which she knew to be false at the public’s expense.

Solicitor Iain Innes asked for the case to be deferred for reports and for bail to continue.

Sheriff Margaret Neilson told Keilty that she would allow bail to continue but Keilty should not think that she would not get sent to prison.

“That is a real possibility,” warned the Sheriff.

Keilty will be sentenced on October 4.