False rape claim charges against Bessbrook woman dropped | Latest Newry News, Newry Sport and Newry Business for Newry City

False rape claim charges against Bessbrook woman dropped

The woman charged with wasting police time after claiming to have been raped in Derrymore Wood last year, has appeared in Newry Magistrates Court today.

The 24 year old woman from Bessbrook had claimed to have been raped in front of her children in March 2011. The police believed the claims to be false and later charged the woman with wasting police time and perverting the course of justice.

The Public Prosecution Service today made the decision to drop the charges against the woman “as the case did not meet the test for prosecution”.

Speaking earlier about the decision to drop the charges, the PSNI said, “We accept the decision by the PPS and the investigation into this allegation of a serious sexual assault has been concluded. This is one of the most heinous crimes imaginable and the Police would always urge people to come forward and report any incident.”

The Rape Crisis Centre in Belfast also commented on the situation saying, “Rape victim Natasha Donnelly was vindicated yesterday when the PPS told a Newry Court that the case “did not meet the criteria for prosecution”.

“The Rape Crisis Centre demands a full inquiry into the decision making process and so-called investigation of the serious stranger rape committed in Newry. We believe Natasha and her family are entitled to a full apology and explanation of the actions taken against her.”

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Posted by on Jan 5 2012. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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