Sunday 8 November 2009

Rape-Claim Girl Locked Up


An “attention seeking” nursery assistant – who falsely claimed she had been the victim of a triple rape by two men – was jailed for four months on Friday.

Emma Wallace, 25, of Meadhall Lane, Chertsey, Surrey, pleaded guilty to three counts of perverting the course of justice.

Wallace arrived drunk at the police station with two boyfriends – one married – when she made the bogus triple-rape allegation on June 14, last year.

She even claimed her girl pal Sam had procured her for rape and threatened her with a knife in a bid to stop the attacks being reported to police.

Prosecutor Mr. Anthony Heaton-Armstrong told the court: “She was intoxicated, not thinking straight and hysterical.

“She alleged she had been raped twice by a man she named, a friend of a friend and between those two incidents was raped by a man she could not identify, a ficticious person.

“The police were immediately suspicious and it was not long before she was being investigated,” added the prosecutor.

Wallace’s lawyer Mr. Andrew Turton said: “She was troubled and vulnerable. She was suffering from the breakdown of her parents’ marriage and though they are going through a divorce they are in court today.

“She has had troubled relationships. She has had a suicide attempt,” added Mr. Turton. “She was prescribed medication for depression and continues to be prescribed and there were issues with alcohol.”

Wallace rejected an offer of a police caution for wasting police time. “She had great difficulty going back on what she said.

“She can be gullible, naïve, attention seeking and prone to exaggeration. These are character traits that must have relevance,” said Mr. Turton. “She had fragile physical and mental health.

“She is absolutely dreading the prospect of imprisonment. It would be crushing for someone of her disposition to go into custody.”

Judge Anna Guggenheim QC said: “The troubling aspect of this case as in some many cases is the allegation of rape involves the word of one against the other.

“The courts always regard the false allegation of rape as a serious offence.

“No person was arrested, but her accusations not only involved a named man, but a woman who was a friend of hers,” added the Judge.

“Fortunately the harm done was limited and the prospect of a prison sentence was not hanging over their heads.

“There is a possible emotional explanation in that she was attention seeking.”

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