Woman jailed for making false rape claim !
A woman was jailed yesterday after her false claim of rape resulted in an innocent stranger being arrested.
In an attempt to make her family feel guilty following an argument, Kerry Saunders invented a story that she had been sexually assaulted after a night out.
She was overheard making the allegation by a passing police community support officer.
Instead of admitting it was just a story, she told the officer that her attacker was a black man driving a blue car.
Within hours, Oladepo Otesile, a student, was picked up by police near the scene of the alleged attack.
He was held in a cell for 22 hours, where he was interviewed under caution and given an intimate forensic examination. Samples of his DNA and fingerprints were also taken.
Only after Mr Otesile was bailed to return for an identity parade did his 'victim' contact police to admit the allegations were false.
Sentencing 26-year-old Saunders to a year in prison after she pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice, Judge Michael Brooke said 'it was something she brought on herself'.
'She is not a baby, she could have said at any time it was not true and she had been hysterical,' he added.
The judge also said that Mr Otesile had been put through an unnecessary ordeal.
The false claims not only deprived him of his liberty, but cost the police £4,500 in wasted time, Basildon Crown Court in Essex heard.
Judge Brooke said: 'A total stranger found himself locked up for 22 hours having samples taken, he was interviewed under caution and accused of the most serious of crimes - stranger rape in a public place. He must have passed an absolutely ghastly time.'
As Saunders sobbed in the dock, he added: 'She knew very well where things were going and things ratcheted up and she did nothing to stop it.'
The allegation was made in the early hours of December 2 last year when Saunders was out celebrating a birthday with family and friends.
After a row broke out in the limousine the group was sharing, the driver dumped her on the A13 in Purfleet, Essex.
Minutes later, she called her family and told them she had been raped - an attempt to make them feel bad.
Barry Hargreaves, prosecuting, said: 'An offduty PCSO saw her by the side of the road in a distressed state and she said she had been attacked in the street by an unknown assailant and had been dumped by his car.
'Police were called and told she had been claiming she had been raped. The description she gave was of her attacker being black and driving a blue car.'
Of Mr Otesile, he added: 'The victim is black, and happened to have a blue car which was spotted by police in the area where the alleged rape took place.
'It fitted the description of the car and he fitted the description of the attacker and he was arrested. He then spent 22 hours in custody where Miss Saunders still maintained the allegation that she had been raped.'
After more than a day had passed, Saunders, from Ilford in Essex, contacted police and admitted the claims were false.
Before the incident, Mr Otesile, of Purfleet, had never been arrested before. Describing him as a man of good character, Mr Hargreaves added: 'The whole experience was horrible and very frightening, especially as he knew he had not done anything wrong.'
The court heard that Saunders had a drugs problem and had been taking crack cocaine on and off since she was 17. She had been drinking on the night of the attack.
In mitigation, her lawyer said she was ' emotionally immature' and the lies were a ' kneejerk reaction to get attention from her family' which spiralled out of control.
To serve only a one year sentence is nothing, she probably will get out in 6 months, If she behaves and shows some remorse about it.
Stereotyping of the races is a common thing in the US. Hundred of people are landing in jail for mistaking identity.
The problem is the court system is overwhelm and most of the cases, the police will use intimidation tactics to force the innocent to confess for crimes not committed. The affected ones are the poor people, who have no income to pay for the cost of bail or any kind of decent legal representation.
Is real and wicked the bailing system of the American justice system, specially the loan sharks, who dedicate themselves only to prey on the need and poor.
Then there is the bounty hunters, If you skip bail.
I hear St. Patrick was an Englishman!"
Remember the case well.. The poor things drowned in the car.. I suppose she played on the old stereotype..
It takes time and effort to change peoples' perceptions..
that poor guy's life? maybe she needs attention that was why.
Are you saying that a sentence for false statements/accusations should be reduced??
Here is the problem though... Imagine the number of people who did what she did and sent innocent people to jail without saying anything to this day because they risk jail if they admit to false allegations...
For my own safety, to know that if someone would do this to me i wish the sentence for that kind of misdemeanor would be reduced so that people do the right thing...
black here,black there,only God will save us!
sick......
tsk tsk tsk... not very good thing to do...