A 31-year-old woman in the United Kingdom will spend more time in prison after falsely accusing 10 men of rape, following intervention by Attorney General Ellie Reeves.
Stacey Sharples from Farnworth, Bolton, had her sentence increased by two years and six months after Reeves referred her case to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.
Sharples contacted men on Facebook and dating apps between 2013 and 2020, arranged to meet them in person, and then made false claims of rape against them to the police.
The court heard how the convict repeated and sustained the accusations, which led to eight separate police investigations involving ten innocent victims.
The government said the majority of those wrongfully accused were arrested and held in custody, resulting in months of investigations and over 550 hours of police time.
The victims described the impact that false allegations had on their daily lives, including loss of relationships, employment, and lasting damage to their mental health.
“Anyone who seeks to exploit or undermine genuine acts of violence against women and girls must be held to account,” said Attorney General Reeves.
The top justice official advised genuine victims to come forward, saying every report of rape is rightly taken seriously and treated with the care it deserves.
On March 11, March, Sharples was sentenced to four years and six months’ imprisonment for 10 counts of obstruction of justice. The Court of Appeal increased it to 7 years on September 9.
UK increases woman’s sentence for falsely accusing 10 men of rape