Teenager admits making up false rape claim

AUCKLAND - A New Zealand teenager has admitted she falsely accused a man of raping her.

Christchurch District Court Judge Stephen Erber Tuesday told the 19-year-old student that her lies had “devalued the currency” for women who made genuine complaints of rape, New Zealand Herald reported.

Erber said that people may look at other women’s complaints sceptically because of her actions.

The teenager pleaded guilty in court to the charge of making a false statement.

“In explanation, she stated she did it because she liked the attention,” Constable Michael Tualii, the police prosecutor, was quoted as telling the court.

The teenager had told the police she had been kidnapped by a man known to her Dec 19 from Riccarton Road.

She claimed she was driven to an address in Yaldhurst and her hands were tied to a sofa bed where she was forced to have sex with him several times.

She went on to claim that she escaped at 7 a.m. next day when the rapist left for work.

Tualii said: “Subsequent police inquiries have revealed these allegations to be totally fabricated.”