A woman who falsely branded her neighbour a rapist when she alleged he had attacked her in a tent in her garden has been jailed.

Jade Wass reported her vulnerable neighbour to the police in July 2020 when she claimed the man, known only as Mr X, had raped her - an allegation that left the man feeling 'suicidal'.

Teesside Crown Court heard how the 26-year-old kept up her story for months before police finally decided that she has lied about the alleged attack.

Richard Bennett, prosecuting, said the man, who has a medical condition causing significant sight loss, was held in custody for more than 15 hours while police questioned him about the false allegations.

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In a victim personal statement, he said he had not been able to see his own child for months while the allegation was hanging over him and his eyesight deteriorated further.

“I find it hard to describe how this incident has affected me – to be labelled a rapist is one of the worst things imaginable.

“I live on a council estate, and I know how much mud sticks in this area. I can’t believe Jade has made up such a serious accusation against me,” he said.

“I have had suicidal thoughts due to the accusations being made, not because I felt any guilt because I absolutely didn’t do what she accused me off, but the thought of the impact this malicious allegation has had on my life.”

The Northern Echo: Jade Wass. Picture: CLEVELAND POLICEJade Wass. Picture: CLEVELAND POLICE

Mr Bennett said the defendant repeated the allegation in person to a named police officer the following day, then again two days later during a video interview.

He added that CCTV showed the defendant’s partner being in the garden at the time that she claimed she had been raped and officers arrested Wass in January 2021 on suspicion of perverting the course of justice.

Mr Bennett said: “There was no forensic link at all to Mr X.”

Wass, now of Clarks Yard, Darlington, pleaded guilty to a charge of perverting the course of justice.

Simon Walker, in mitigation, said his client still does not ‘fully comprehend’ the impact her complaint had on her neighbour’s wellbeing.

He added: “She has acted out of character; she has acted with no thought due to the lack of capacity to understand the consequences.

“She has been assessed as a low risk of reoffending and her naivety is there for all to see.”

Judge Howard Crowson jailed Wass for two years after hearing the impact the allegation had on the man and other victims of sex crimes.

He said: “Deliberately false claims are extremely rare. False allegations have a tendency to give unjustified credence to the false claims that sex offenders are that they too are victims of false allegations.”

Wass was also made subject of an indefinite restraining order to protect the victim.

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