A woman falsely told police she was drugged and raped before being forcibly bathed by her attacker.

As a result of Rebecca McGee's twisted tale, Hassan Kaabi spent almost a week in top security Durham Prison, knowing he could remain there for years.

Newcastle Crown Court today heard how McGee's grandmother contacted police on February 16 last year to say McGee, 20, had been raped after going to Mr Kaabi's home for a romantic meal.

But the court was told that the pair had actually enjoyed a pleasant evening together, despite the defendant's claims, before having consensual sex at Mr Kaabi's North Shields home on Tyneside.

Prosecutor Robert Woodcock told the court: "The defendant said he locked the front door behind her, attaching the keys to his trousers.

"They sat down and ate a meal together, drinking coffee and Coca-Cola afterwards, and at that point she mentioned she felt her mouth was becoming numb and she was beginning to feel uneasy.

"It was at that point that the two of them went upstairs and she believed she lost consciousness on the way to the lavatory.

"She said the following morning she woke from sleep and felt discomfort in her genital area. A trip to the lavatory confirmed that there had been someone having sexual intercourse with her.

"She said she was forcibly marched to the bathroom, stripped and forcibly washed by Mr Kaabi, who pushed her into the bath in order to do so."

Medical examinations of McGee did not confirm or disprove her story and it was only after reading about his remand into custody that she contacted police on February 22 to say she had made the whole story up.

Mr Kaabi made a graphic witness statement to the police, explaining how his Moslem traditions had not been adhered to in the top secutity jail and spoke of his horror at being charged with such an awful crime.

Caroline Goodwin, mitigating, said McGee's learning disabilities and tragic background had led to her making the false claim.

Miss Goodwin said: "This was in no way an action borne out of deliberate and malicious spite.

"She is not a scheming, manipulative harradan, she is misunderstood and vulnerable."

McGee of Warrington Avenue, Brunswick Village, Newcastle, admitted perverting the course of justice. She will be sentenced later today.