Woman who falsely reported her lover for rape sentenced to two years

Keeley Horrocks

A woman who falsely reported her lover for rape has been sentenced.

Keeley Horrocks of Burnley, pleaded guilty to perverting the course at Bolton Crown Court.

Today, Monday 17 October 2011, Horrocks was sentenced to two years in prison.

At 5.15pm on 3 January 2010, Horrocks called police to report that she had been raped in Rochdale.

Officers attended and took an initial account from Horrocks. Later that evening she had a full medical examination at a referral centre. Over the next few days Horrocks was video interviewed by trained officers, and gave a lengthy and detailed account of her ordeal, all of which proved to be false.

The 59-year-old man she accused lived in Rochdale, and GMP officers were asked to arrest him.

In line with investigative procedures, the man's house was searched and he subjected to his own medical examination.

He was then interviewed and vehemently denied any wrongdoing, explaining that the pair had been in a consensual sexual relationship for nine months. He was then released on bail.

He spent a total of 18-20 hours in police custody.

Evidence was reviewed and it emerged that the report of rape had been made shortly after the "suspect" sent a text message to the woman's ex-boyfriend, with whom she was trying to rekindle her relationship.

The man from Rochdale suspected that he and the ex-boyfriend were both being lied to.

In a statement, the victim said: "This whole affair has changed my life. I should not have been in court today and I should not have had to hear what was said. I should not feel the way I feel. I am still traumatised.

"As a single father, I could have lost my daughter. The first four or five months were the most difficult.

"When this happened I was put through a humiliating and traumatic ordeal and I am still suffering from the indignity of that experience now.

"She has shown no remorse toward me, but has had plenty of opportunities to admit to what she has done. Sorry would have gone a long way."

Detective Constable Chris Whalley said: "Horrocks embarked on a path of deceit and told a series of malicious lies to the police and other parties involved in the investigation in a bid to try and save her own relationship with the man she was trying to get back with.

"It was not only an utterly selfish thing to do, it was also criminal. Her actions meant that a totally innocent man was forced into the best part of a 20-hour custody ordeal and his house was searched. This made a mockery of the experiences suffered by genuine victims.

"In investigating this false claim countless hours were wasted not only police by officers and trained Nightingale Officers, but also medical professionals, counsellors and others. All of which could've been spent dealing with a genuine emergency and victim.

"Not forgetting the months of stress and anxiety suffered by the male who was falsely accused, whilst he was on bail and since.

"Greater Manchester Police would encourage anyone who has been a victim of rape or any sort of sexual abuse to come forward. We treat every allegation seriously and will investigate thoroughly and without prejudice.

"We work extremely closely with the St Marys Sexual Assault Referral Centre and have specially-trained officers who give a tremendous amount of time and support to anyone who has been a victim of rape. The support we gave to Horrocks shows just how seriously we take any allegation and I want to stress that in publicising this case, we want anyone who has been a genuine victim to speak to us because we can help not only you, but also put your attacker behind bars.⿝

Anyone who has been a victim of rape or sexual assault can contact Greater Manchester Police on 0161 872 5050 or 999 in an emergency. GMP has specially trained officers in place to provide a first class response to victims and help support them through the criminal justice process.

St Mary's Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Manchester, can also be contacted on 0161 276 6515. This provides a comprehensive and coordinated forensic, counselling and medical aftercare service to anyone in Greater Manchester who has experienced rape or sexual assault. Services are available on a 24-hour basis and people can access them either as a self-referral or via Greater Manchester Police.