Community | December 06, 2009 | 48 comments

Cheating wife cried rape in text message to husband after fit of guilt over affair

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MotherForTruth
A wife who cried rape because she felt guilty about cheating on her husband in their home was spared jail yesterday.

Helen Dalby went to extraordinary lengths to stand by her false claim, having a full medical examination and even helping create an e-fit of her imaginary attacker.

But despite wasting £3,800 of public money and showing little regard for two men arrested, she was given a ten-month suspended jail sentence after admitting perverting the course of justice.

Judge David Tremberg told 35-year-old Dalby: 'The men (who came under suspicion) no doubt will have wondered what might have happened to them if this nightmare did not go away. Your lies diverted a massive amount of precious police time and resources from proper duty.'

Dalby's behaviour risked weakening the cases of genuine rape victims and allowing dangerous offenders to be acquitted, he added. In similar cases prison sentences of up to two years have been imposed.

But the judge ruled this case was 'exceptional' because Dalby did not act out of 'spite or malice', and imposed a more lenient sentence.

On 15 August, she had consensual sex with her lover at home in Grimsby before texting Mr Dalby to tell him she had been raped by a stranger.

David Cammies, prosecuting, said she later pretended to police that a man had followed her home, pushed her inside and attacked her in a bedroom.

Officers launched an investigation, seizing clothes, bedding and a cigarette butt.
Two innocent men - including her lover - were arrested and spent 'many hours' in custody before her lies were exposed, the court was told.
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48 comments // Cheating wife cried rape in text message to husband after fit of guilt over affair

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