False rape claim cost £40,000 say police
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by Martin Jefferies
mjefferies@thekmgroup.co.uk
A woman who claimed she was raped on a Broadstairs beach,
triggering a £40,000 police investigation that led to two arrests,
has admitted making the incident up.
The 42-year-old from Ramsgate, who cannot be named for legal
reasons, told police she was assaulted at Viking Bay in the early
hours of September 6, 2009, by two unknown men.
Her allegations led to an extensive investigation by officers from
the major crime department at Kent Police, who arrested two men as
a result of descriptions provided by the woman.
Inquiries were carried out and several witnesses who had been on
the beach at the time of the alleged incident gave statements to
police, contradicting the woman’s account of events.
She was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of wasting police time
and making a false statement. After she admitted lying to officers
about the incident, she received a formal caution which will sit on
her record.
Det Insp Lee Whitehead, who led the investigation, said: “We’d like
to reassure the community that all allegations of this nature are
treated seriously and thoroughly investigated. Victims of such
crimes are always treated with great discretion and
sensitivity.
“Any allegations proved to be false are also treated seriously and
dealt with accordingly. False allegations undermine genuine victims
of sexual assault and divert police resources away from what we
should be concentrating on.”
Ch Insp Mitchell Fox, district commander for Thanet, added: “I said
in September this was very unusual and out-of-character for
Broadstairs, which has a deserved reputation as a very safe place
to live, work and visit.
“I hope people are reassured that our investigation processes are
extremely rigorous and exhaustive and remind those who choose to go
down the route of false allegations that it not only diverts
valuable police resources but can have a significantly negative
impact on their own lives.”
Friday, February 05 2010
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