Following 60 police investigations into 10 false rape allegations made by an Essex lady against two males, it was discovered that the men had not been in the region at the time.
Between January and May 2021, Cathy Richardson, a 35-year-old Westcliff resident, made a number of accusations against two males. She has now received a sentence of more than five years in jail.
Her actions, according to Essex Police leaders, wasted time and resources and had a “significant impact” on the lives of the individuals she charged.
Police added that her false allegations have also done a ‘great disservice’ to real victims of sexual crimes.
Officers conducted 60 investigations as a result of Richardson’s allegations, and one of the men she implicated was detained and subjected to a forensic examination.
As detectives investigated Richardson’s accusations, they discovered that evidence from automated number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras, phone records, and CCTV footage indicated the accused assailant was not there when Richardson claimed the assaults occurred.
Even more, one of the males consented to having a GPS tracking tag attached to his ankle that would alert police if it were damaged or removed.
When the tag’s data was analysed, it was discovered that he had not been present when Richardson claimed the attack had occurred.
On May 28 of last year, Richardson was taken into custody and later charged with tampering with justice.
‘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.
At Salisbury Crown Court, she pleaded guilty to 10 offences, and on Friday, she was given a five-year and-a-month prison term.
When an accusation of rape or sexual assault is brought to our attention, our first step is to believe the person making that claim, according to Detective Inspector James Holmes, who oversaw the investigation.
‘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.
‘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.’
