A 27-year-old woman from Worcester has been charged with defeating the ends of justice after falsely reporting a rape.
According to Warrant Officer Vathiswa Jacobs, a spokesperson for the Worcester police, the woman reported the alleged crime on Monday 1 May.
“She reported her boyfriend had raped her, but later she told us she wanted to drop the charges,” he said. “Asked why, she admitted she lied about the rape. Apparently she lied about the rape because her boyfriend had caught her cheating on him.”
Jacobs further explained a public prosecutor advised a case be made against the woman for lying about such a serious crime.
“The woman was charged with perjury because the man had already been arrested and was set to appear in court,” Jacobs said.
The falsely accused was to appear on 3 May where the state was going to ask that he remain in custody. Jacobs further said people must stop opening false cases to spite others.
“When opening a criminal case make sure the statement you are making is the truth,” he said, “because making a false statement is a criminal offence. After the police discover you have made a false statement under oath, a case of perjury will be opened against you and you will be arrested and charged.”
