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Bolton Woman Jailed for 54 Months for Fabricating Rape Claims Against 10 Men

Police say the rare case should not deter genuine victims from reporting sexual offences.

Overview

  • Judge Nicholas Clarke KC jailed Stacey Sharples on March 11 after she pleaded guilty to 10 counts of perverting the course of justice at Bolton Crown Court.
  • Sharples made false rape reports about 10 men between 2013 and 2019, typically after rejection by men she had contacted through dating sites or social media.
  • The men faced arrests, hours in custody, months on bail or under investigation, and in some cases intimate medical examinations, with serious impacts on employment, families and mental health.
  • The judge called her a "sexual predator" who damaged public confidence, while noting mitigation including a borderline personality disorder diagnosis and a measured IQ of 69.
  • Greater Manchester Police said evidence consistently contradicted her accounts, a court heard a conservative £120,000 public cost was incurred, and the force urged genuine survivors to continue to seek support.