A trainee barrister has been jailed after being found guilty of falsely accusing her former boyfriend of a series of rapes and assaults.
Sentencing Rhiannon Brooker, 30, to three and half years, the judge Julian Lambert said she had acted in an “utterly wicked” way and argued that false claims made it more difficult for real rape victims to be believed in court.
There was anger from women’s rights campaigners who claimed that such severe sentences would put off rape victims from going to the police for fear they could face prosecution if allegations were not proven. There were cries of “Shame” and “Miscarriage of justice” as Brooker’s sentence was handed down.
Brooker’s former partner Paul Fensome, a railway signalman, was held behind bars for 37 days after she accused him of a string of rapes and assaults. While in custody, Fensome was held in a secure wing after rumours went around that he was a paedophile. He has since received £38,000 compensation.
Alibis, evidence from Fensome’s phone and his work shift patterns undermined Brooker’s accounts. Injuries were judged to have been self-inflicted and the police dropped their investigations into Fensome and turned their attention on Brooker.
Brooker initially told police she had made false accusations. But when she was charged with perverting the course of justice she retracted her confession. She was found guilty of 12 offences relating to false allegations of five rapes, six assaults and one false imprisonment.
Definitely two sides to this one. The sentence does seem overly harsh and might deter survivors from reporting rapists. On the other hand, framing someone for a dastardly crime is also a dastardly crime.
Plenty of guilt to go around here, none of it attaching to the accused in the original case.
Okay let’s replace the crime of rape with theft.
A person accused someone of theft and manufactured evidence to support the false accusations of theft.
Said accuser is found out to be lying and the evidence is fake.
The accuser is found guilty of perverting the course of justice.
Now do you think anyone would be throwing a hissy fit about the accuser getting prison time? Yeah, me neither.
Stop being so fucking retarded people. If you falsely accuse someone of a crime, regardless of what that crime is, you deserve to get slapped on cuffs.