CATHY RICHARDSON

JAIL FOR WOMAN WHO LIED ABOUT BEING RAPED BY TWO DIFFERENT MEN

A woman who asserted she had been sexually assaulted multiple times by two different men has been sentenced to five years in prison after it was discovered that her claims were fabricated.

Cathy Richardson made a series of accusations against two individuals from January to May of the previous year.

This prompted Essex Police to launch 60 separate investigations into her allegations.

During the inquiries, one of the men she accused was detained and subjected to forensic testing.

Yet, investigations revealed that CCTV footage, phone records, and automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) data contradicted her account, showing that her alleged attacker was not present in the area during the purported assault times.

Additionally, one of the men agreed to wear a GPS tracking device on his ankle, which could alert police if tampered with or removed.

Analyses of data from this device consistently indicated he was not in the vicinity when Richardson claimed the assaults occurred.

Richardson, aged 35 and from Westcliff, was taken into custody on 28 May 2021 and later faced charges of perverting the course of justice.

She pleaded guilty to ten charges at Salisbury Crown Court in May of this year and was sentenced on 30 September to a term of five years and one month in prison.