Woman given fixed penalty notice for lying about rape

Detectives are no longer investigating a report of rape in Heywood.

In the early hours of Monday 22 October 2012, a woman reported being raped in an area of land behind the Heywood pub.

An investigation was launched by detectives from the Serious Sexual Offences Unit, who interviewed a 27-year-old man under caution.

He told police he had consensual sex with the woman and this was later confirmed by the woman herself.

She has subsequently been issued with a fixed penalty notice (£80) for wasting police time.

Detective Inspector Debbie Dooley, of the Serious Sexual Offences Unit, said: “As soon as we received this report we launched a thorough investigation and as a result we have established that no such offence occurred.

“To lie about being the victim of such a serious offence obviously causes undue alarm within the community and makes a mockery of the awful experiences of genuine victims.

“We treat all allegations of rape extremely seriously and our investigations into serious sexual offences are meticulous. We will always do whatever we can to uncover the truth and anyone who lies will be caught out and dealt with.”

Anyone who has been a victim of rape or sexual assault can contact Greater Manchester Police on 101 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.