Pendle woman facing jail over bogus rape claim

6:20pm Sunday 23rd May 2010 in Foulridge Photograph of the Author By Alex Willmott, Reporter

A WOMAN who told police she had been 'violently raped' has admitted she was lying.

Elizabeth Wilkinson, 20, of Skipton Old Road, Foulridge, pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice after claiming she had been sexually attacked by man at his house in Colne last September.

As a result of her allegation a 22-year-old man was arrested and interviewed at Burnley station as police detectives launched an investigation into what they described as a 'horrific attack'.

Burnley Crown Court heard police dicovered that Wilkinson had lied to her friends and officers about the circumstances surrounding the alleged rape.

After the caseDetective Sergeant Stephen Holgate of Pendle CID said: “Offences of rape have a huge impact on the victims leaving emotional scars for many years.

“Every effort is made to ensure victims of such crimes have confidence in the police with specially trained officers ensuring the best possible care is given whilst investigating the matter to the highest standards.

“This is a life-changing offence and is treated as such. In making this false allegation Elizabeth Wilkinson has undermined the genuine victims of this horrific crime.

“An innocent man lost his liberty and has suffered considerable emotional distress as a result of her lies.”

Wilkinson will appear at Burnley Crown Court for sentencing on Friday July 30.

Her barrister, Mark Stuart said the court should have not only a pre-sentence report, but also a psychological report before sentence was passed.

Wilkinson was bailed unconditionally.

Judge Andrew Woolman told her: "I must make it clear to you that the fact I am re-granting you bail and the fact I am adjourning for reports does not mean the court has made it's mind up about the appropriate sentence in this case. It's a serious allegation and you must understand custody is a distinct option."

Comments (11)

8:07pm Sun 23 May 10

Mo Lestor says...

Send her down and make an example of her. I can't imagine how the lad felt, it must have been his worst nightmare.
.
Not only that, women like her make it more difficult for the Police to prosecute GENUINE rape victims.
.
I hope he takes a civil case and sues her for every penny she has!
Send her down and make an example of her. I can't imagine how the lad felt, it must have been his worst nightmare. . Not only that, women like her make it more difficult for the Police to prosecute GENUINE rape victims. . I hope he takes a civil case and sues her for every penny she has! Mo Lestor

9:01pm Sun 23 May 10

chrislancs says...

No matter what happens to her a totally innocent man has had his life destroyed. you cant put a price on that.
No matter what happens to her a totally innocent man has had his life destroyed. you cant put a price on that. chrislancs

9:25pm Sun 23 May 10

ste.g says...

Mo Lestor wrote:
Send her down and make an example of her. I can't imagine how the lad felt, it must have been his worst nightmare.
.
Not only that, women like her make it more difficult for the Police to prosecute GENUINE rape victims.
.
I hope he takes a civil case and sues her for every penny she has!
couldnt have put it better.
[quote][p][bold]Mo Lestor[/bold] wrote: Send her down and make an example of her. I can't imagine how the lad felt, it must have been his worst nightmare. . Not only that, women like her make it more difficult for the Police to prosecute GENUINE rape victims. . I hope he takes a civil case and sues her for every penny she has![/p][/quote]couldnt have put it better. ste.g

8:36am Mon 24 May 10

chris283 says...

wat a **** send her down she has ruined this mans life women for you aint it, there is some very sick ones out there
wat a **** send her down she has ruined this mans life women for you aint it, there is some very sick ones out there chris283

10:10am Mon 24 May 10

A Darener says...

ste.g wrote:
Mo Lestor wrote: Send her down and make an example of her. I can't imagine how the lad felt, it must have been his worst nightmare. . Not only that, women like her make it more difficult for the Police to prosecute GENUINE rape victims. . I hope he takes a civil case and sues her for every penny she has!
couldnt have put it better.
"prosecute the GENUINE rape victims"? I hope you you meant to write "the perpetrators" not the victims.
[quote][p][bold]ste.g[/bold] wrote: [quote][p][bold]Mo Lestor[/bold] wrote: Send her down and make an example of her. I can't imagine how the lad felt, it must have been his worst nightmare. . Not only that, women like her make it more difficult for the Police to prosecute GENUINE rape victims. . I hope he takes a civil case and sues her for every penny she has![/p][/quote]couldnt have put it better.[/p][/quote]"prosecute the GENUINE rape victims"? I hope you you meant to write "the perpetrators" not the victims. A Darener

10:14am Mon 24 May 10

cdog says...

she should be punished with the same jail sentence this man would of recieved had he been found guilty of her lie. she was happy to lie, knowing she would ruin his life and he would have to spend a long time in jail? disgusting b***h
she should be punished with the same jail sentence this man would of recieved had he been found guilty of her lie. she was happy to lie, knowing she would ruin his life and he would have to spend a long time in jail? disgusting b***h cdog

10:22am Mon 24 May 10

e/lancs says...

It's hard enough for a woman to report a rape but this woman has made things harder for the genuine rape victims through her stupidity and she should be given the highest possible sentence
It's hard enough for a woman to report a rape but this woman has made things harder for the genuine rape victims through her stupidity and she should be given the highest possible sentence e/lancs

2:06pm Mon 24 May 10

BuckoTheMoose says...

Exactly!
Exactly! BuckoTheMoose

2:08pm Mon 24 May 10

BuckoTheMoose says...

By "Exactly!" I was refering to cdog's post above. The quote button didnt work for some reason.
By "Exactly!" I was refering to cdog's post above. The quote button didnt work for some reason. BuckoTheMoose

2:37pm Mon 24 May 10

anji105 says...

My family was put through a similar ordeal , when someone accused ,a male member of our family , of sexual abuse .
After many months of distress , hurt mistrust and abuse , she was eventually proven to have lied .
Not only had it ruined a perfectly innocent mans life and his immediate family , it also cost the tax payer thousands of pounds in court cost .
We expected her to be arrested and charged with false accusations but this wasnt pursued by the CPS.
She should have been made accountable for her actions and the girl in this particular case needs to be punished accordingly . Rape is a hienious crime but so is crying rape too.
The knock on effect for the accused is horrendous and I hope he has got over his ordeal as best he can .
My family was put through a similar ordeal , when someone accused ,a male member of our family , of sexual abuse . After many months of distress , hurt mistrust and abuse , she was eventually proven to have lied . Not only had it ruined a perfectly innocent mans life and his immediate family , it also cost the tax payer thousands of pounds in court cost . We expected her to be arrested and charged with false accusations but this wasnt pursued by the CPS. She should have been made accountable for her actions and the girl in this particular case needs to be punished accordingly . Rape is a hienious crime but so is crying rape too. The knock on effect for the accused is horrendous and I hope he has got over his ordeal as best he can . anji105

4:45pm Mon 24 May 10

Mo Lestor says...

A Darener wrote:
ste.g wrote:
Mo Lestor wrote: Send her down and make an example of her. I can't imagine how the lad felt, it must have been his worst nightmare. . Not only that, women like her make it more difficult for the Police to prosecute GENUINE rape victims. . I hope he takes a civil case and sues her for every penny she has!
couldnt have put it better.
"prosecute the GENUINE rape victims"? I hope you you meant to write "the perpetrators" not the victims.
I have that one!
[quote][p][bold]A Darener[/bold] wrote: [quote][p][bold]ste.g[/bold] wrote: [quote][p][bold]Mo Lestor[/bold] wrote: Send her down and make an example of her. I can't imagine how the lad felt, it must have been his worst nightmare. . Not only that, women like her make it more difficult for the Police to prosecute GENUINE rape victims. . I hope he takes a civil case and sues her for every penny she has![/p][/quote]couldnt have put it better.[/p][/quote]"prosecute the GENUINE rape victims"? I hope you you meant to write "the perpetrators" not the victims.[/p][/quote]I have that one! Mo Lestor

Comments are closed on this article.

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