A HAIR and beauty student who falsely accused a man of raping her to gain sympathy was given a six- month community supervision order yesterday.
Because of her false accusation Jemma Knights wasted 37 hours of Lowestoft police’s time.
The 18-year-old pleaded guilty to wasting police time at Lowestoft Magistrates’ Court.
Magistrates heard Knights, who lives in support housing in Lorne Road, Lowestoft, told police in July she had been raped.
Mitzy Bond, prosecuting, said Knights had falsely claimed she was raped to try and make friends with someone at the college she was going to.
Knights had hoped to make friends by gaining the other’s person sympathy.
The magistrates were told that between July and October, Lowestoft police wasted 37 hours investigating the rape claim, which Knights eventually told officers was made up.
Knights represented herself in court and did not go into why she had made up the rape.
She told magistrates she was studying hair and beauty on a life skills course and hoped to work in a salon.
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