Woman admits lying about rape (From Borehamwood Times)

Woman admits lying about rape

2:37pm Friday 26th November 2004 in News By LOUISA BARNETT

A Borehamwood woman who claimed she was raped last week has admitted it never happened.

The woman, who is in her early 20s and cannot be named for legal reasons, could now face a possible six-month jail sentence for wasting police time.

She had not only lied to police, but also to family and friends, telling them that a man had raped her in an alleyway off Drayton Road on November 10 at around 10.30pm.

Detective Chief Inspector Mick Ball said: "It has now been established that the rape did not happen and police have now concluded their investigations into this matter.

"The investigation of this allegation has taken up a lot of valuable police time and resources. A total of six police officers worked on this case full-time for a whole week to establish that this alleged offence never took place.

"We are now considering what further action to take in this matter."

If police choose to charge the woman for wasting police time, she could be cautioned, fined or jailed for a maximum of six months.