Mother who falsely accused 10 men of raping her has jail term increased

A mother who falsely accused 10 men of raping her has had her prison sentence increased by two-and-a-half years.

The change came after the Court of Appeal ruled that her original term was "unduly lenient".

Stacey Sharples, 31, made false reports causing men to be held in custody at police stations, lose jobs and partners, and be separated from their children.

She met the men from Greater Manchester on Facebook and dating apps Plenty of Fish and Badoo between 2013 and 2019 when she was aged between 18 and 24.

Sharples admitted 10 counts of perverting the course of justice at Bolton Crown Court in March and was jailed for four-and-a-half years.

However, the Attorney General referred the sentence to the Court of Appeal and on Wednesday judges increased the term to seven years.

An estimated 264 hours of police time and around £50,000 were wasted in months-long investigations, the court heard.

Sharples, from Farnworth in Bolton, appeared at the London court on Wednesday by video link from HMP Styal in Cheshire.

Lord Justice Popplewell, sitting with Mr Justice Linden and Mrs Justice Hill, said: "The allegations were of extremely serious conduct, all involving rape, and in some cases multiple rapes with serious violence and threats.

"Had the victims been convicted, their sentences would in total have been very lengthy indeed."

He said false rape allegations undermine real victims of rape and have a serious effect "on the minds of the public who may be called as jurors, which may cause doubts in the mind where none should exist".

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The judge said Sharples "lured" one victim to a shop so he could be arrested in public and told another, "Watch what happens now" after he refused her advances.

She told one victim: "They're not pressing charges, I've got away with it yet again."

Police found many inconsistencies in Sharples' false allegations during lengthy video-recorded interviews.

Hunter Gray, representing Sharples, said the original sentence had been reduced due to Sharples' mental health and lack of intellect - which the judge decided constituted a learning disability.

He said Sharples "accepts responsibility" but "still struggles to understand why she did what she did".

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