Woman jailed for more than five years for making 10 false rape claims against two different men

An Essex woman made 10 false rape claims against two men leading to 60 police investigations – which eventually found that the men were not in the area at the time.

Cathy Richardson, 35, from Westcliff, made a series of allegations against two men between January and May 2021, and has now been sentenced to more than five years in prison.

Essex Police bosses have slammed her actions, which they say had a ‘huge impact’ on the lives of the men she accused and resulted in wasted police time and resources.

Police added that her false allegations have also done a ‘great disservice’ to real victims of sexual crimes.

Richardson’s allegations led to officers carrying out 60 investigations, with one of the men she accused being arrested and made to undergo forensic examination.

As officers progressed their enquiries into Richardson’s claims, they found that CCTV, phone data, and information from automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras showed the alleged attacker was not in the area at the time Richardson alleged the assaults to have taken place.

One of the men even agreed to have a GPS tracking tag fitted to his ankle which would send an alarm to police if it was destroyed or taken off. 

On a number of occasions, data from the tag was analysed and showed he was not in the area when Richardson said the attack had taken place.

Richardson was arrested on May 28 last year and later charged with perverting the course of justice. 

She admitted 10 counts at Salisbury Crown Court and, on Friday, she was sentenced to five years and one month in prison.

Detective Inspector James Holmes, who led the investigation, said: ‘Whenever an allegation of rape or sexual assault comes to us, our starting point is to believe the person making that claim. 

‘They are awful offences and have a massive impact on those who’ve experienced them, and we have specialist officers and staff who support them and investigate.

‘To begin with, Cathy Richardson’s claims were no different and we carried out our enquiries with compassion and empathy. 

‘However, it quickly became clear the allegations Richardson had made were not what they seemed.

‘Her claims do a great disservice to victims of rape and sexual assault who need our help and support. 

‘And they have had a huge impact on the lives of the two men she had accused.

Richardson admitted 10 counts of perverting the course of justice at Salisbury Crown Court and, on Friday, she was sentenced to five years and one month in prison

‘Her allegations led to a significant number of investigations which for our officers, taking up a huge number of time and resources which we would have preferred to have directed towards helping genuine victims who really do need us. 

‘I sincerely hope this case does not put off victims of rape and sexual assault, who really need our help, from reporting offences to us. 

‘I want to reassure you that you will be believed, we will support you, and we will investigate what has happened.’

A spokesman for Essex Police added that the force was ‘dedicated to tackling violence against women and girls in Essex’. 

They said: ‘We have dedicated officers across the county – whether they specialise in investigating sexual or domestic abuse, offer a uniformed respond to immediate reports of violence, or officers and staff members who are on the other end of our 999 calls.

‘They work together to reassure and protect victims and bring violent perpetrators to justice. 

‘We know that there are some people who do not feel comfortable reporting crimes to the police, and it’s on us to gain and maintain trust.’