Law grad who cried rape jailed
AAP
June 27, 2014, 12:32 pm
Law grad who cried rape faces jail NZ COPY (clone 1403835940)
A lying law graduate in the UK, who falsely accused her boyfriend of rape so she would have an excuse for failing her legal exams, has been jailed for three-and-a-half years after being found guilty of perverting the course of justice.
Rhiannon Brooker, 30, claimed Paul Fensome, 46, forced her to have sex with him on 11 occasions and faked injuries to suggest he beat her.
The Birmingham law graduate even alleged Fensome caused her to have a miscarriage by punching her in the stomach.
During an eight-week trial at Bristol Crown Court, jurors were told Brooker falsified the allegations because her party lifestyle led her to fail her bar assessments.
She is said to have told an exam committee that her performance suffered from "extenuating circumstances".
Fensome was arrested, charged and held in custody for 36 days before police realised there was no evidence against him.
Brooker denied 20 charges of doing an act tending and intended to pervert the course of justice between May 2011 and January 2012.
The charges related to 11 made-up claims of rape, eight assaults and one of false imprisonment.
After nearly 21 hours of deliberations, the jury of 10 men and two women found Brooker guilty of 12 charges - five false rape claims, six assaults and one of false imprisonment - earlier this month.
Jurors failed to reach verdicts on the other eight charges and were discharged by Judge Julian Lambert. The prosecution is not seeking a re-trial.
