Sponsored by
Judge blasts 'evil' rape lie woman
A woman who falsely claimed she was raped by a soldier cried and hung her head in shame as she was jailed for a year.
Amanda Lang, 21, was branded "wicked and evil" by a judge who said she had let down all genuine rape victims with her lies.
Lang, a former call centre worker at Carphone Warehouse in Ashton, Preston, claimed she was attacked and raped by Lance Corporal Phillip Trowell in a secluded, grassy field at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.
But she maintained the lie for 15 months before eventually admitting she made it up.
Judge Julian hall told her: "What you did was wicked.
"For a few days this man's life was turned upside down. You persisted with your story for 15 months so all the time he thought he was going to have to give evidence to prove you were lying."
She told police the pair left the bar at 1am in 30 November 2006 and Mr Trowell had pushed her into the bushes, pulled down her trousers and forced himself on her.
In fact, Lang, of Withy Grove Crescent, Bamber Bridge, had taken Ln Cpl Trowell back to the room she shared with boyfriend Kevin Walmsley, where they had consensual sex.
Police did not believe Lang's account and arrested her in February 2007.
She kept up the ruse until three days before the trial when she changed her plea to guilty of perverting the course of justice.
Judge Julian Hall, sitting at Oxford Crown Court, told Lang: "You caused an enormous amount of work and waste of time. The most serious aspect is that you have done womankind no good at all.
"Every time a woman makes a false allegation of rape you let down the women that make true allegations and cause suspicion that another person is making it up.
"That is the evil of what you did - it undermines the whole process. This is a case where a message has to be sent out to everybody that false allegations of rape are insidious to a degree."
James Reilly, defending Lang, said she was immature, had a troubled past and had suffered depression.
He said the rape allegation came as a result of a "snowball effect" and the defendant realised she was wrong.
SEE The Evening Post on Tuesday for more on this story.
>> Vote in our latest web poll
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Preston
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -3 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Light sleet
Temperature: 3 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: South east
