Woman jailed for false rape claims

Pa
Monday 17 January 2011 18:34 GMT

A woman was jailed for two years today for making two false allegations of rapes against four men, according to police.

Emma Blunden, 21, from College Piece, Mortimer, Reading, Berkshire, was sentenced at Reading Crown Court having been convicted of two counts of perverting the course of justice at the same court in December.

Blunden reported to police on July 26, 2008, that she had been raped by a man in a hostel where she was living in Newbury.

On February 4 last year, she also reported that she had been raped by three men at a house she was visiting in Reading.

A Thames Valley Police spokesman said that after extensive investigations into both incidents, Blunden was charged with two counts of perverting the course of justice.

Detective Sergeant Elton Evans, from Reading CID, said: "This sentence sends out a very strong message to people who falsely report any type of crime, not only rapes.

"Making false reports of crime is a very serious offence and Blunden has made false allegations about very serious incidents on two separate occasions.

"A huge amount of police officers' time went into investigating both of these incidents, taking officers away from helping genuine victims of crime.

"Three men were also arrested following her initial reports and they had to endure some intimate forensic examinations.

"We always take reports of rape very seriously, but when we find reports to have been made up we will investigate them just as vigorously.

"Blunden now has a considerable period of time to reflect on the seriousness of her actions."

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