Louth woman jailed for falsely accusing man of stabbing and sex offences
Police said she made false reports against the man over three years
A woman who falsely accused a man she knew of stabbing her and of sex offences has been jailed for three years and nine months.
Courtney Clapham, 23-year-old, of Wallis Road in Louth, was sentenced at Grimsby Crown Court on Friday 30th October.
She pleaded guilty to three counts of perverting the course of justice.
Clapham was also given a 10-year Restraining Order in relation to the man.
What police say happened
Over the course of three years, Clapham made numerous malicious calls into the police Force Control Room under false names.
In the calls, she made accusations against a man she knew.
On some occasions, she claimed he had sexually assaulted her and raped a child.
In two other incidents, Clapham reported she had been stabbed in the leg by the same man.
This led to him being arrested and charged with grievous bodily harm.
Police said evidence was collated and witness statements were obtained that proved the man could not have committed any of the offences suggested.
This prompted an investigation into whether Clapham had attempted to frame him and pervert the course of justice.
Police said that in one incident Clapham had in fact stabbed herself in a bid to frame the man.
They said it was later established that false witness statements had been provided.
Police response
The investigation was led by Detective Sergeant Eve Tansley from the Domestic Abuse and Safeguarding Investigation Team.
DS Tansley said: "The man in this case has been through the most excruciating and harrowing ordeal, being accused and depicted as a monster by Clapham, who had her own calculated agenda to try to ruin his life."
DS Tansley said: "Clapham is a devious woman who fabricated a web of evil lies in an attempt to manipulate the system and see the man suffer."
DS Tansley said: "Because of her actions, a man was wrongly arrested and charged for a crime he did not commit. During the incident where Clapham had in fact stabbed herself in a bid to frame him, it was later established that false witness statements had been provided because Clapham had tried to tell her twisted story to anyone who would listen, portraying the man as a violent person she was terrified of all over social media."
DS Tansley said: "I would like to commend the man for working alongside us to provide evidence, and even attending court on numerous occasions, having to relive what had happened to him over such a prolonged period of time."
DS Tansley said: "The sheer strength and bravery he has shown cannot be underestimated, and it is thanks to him and his family that the amount of evidence stacked up against Clapham meant she had no other choice but to plead guilty to the offences."
DS Tansley said: "Domestic abuse can happen to anybody at any time, it is not discriminatory on age, sexual orientation, gender, background, or religion. Whilst we do see women being disproportionately affected by domestic abuse, we must continue to raise awareness and help give men, who can also be victims of domestic abuse, a voice."
DS Tansley said: "Our main priority is to protect the most vulnerable individuals within our communities, and support them at some of the most difficult times in their lives."
DS Tansley said: "Allegations of this nature when falsely made, can have a detrimental impact on genuine victims coming forward, and I want to offer my assurance to anyone who is suffering from this type of crime, that we will always take any report made seriously and treat it with the utmost priority, and importantly, you will be treated sensitively and with confidentiality."
DS Tansley said: "I want to send a clear message that blatantly lying and making such horrific and damaging allegations has consequences, and we will always take robust action to bring those responsible for such behaviour to justice."
The man's response
Speaking after sentencing, the man said: "Courtney nearly accomplished ruining my life; which I find myself still trying to piece together, even now."
The man said: "She has continuously lied about me, and absolutely nothing she has reported has been even a fraction of truth."
The man said: "She plastered all of these allegations over social media too, and I am still having to pick up the pieces of myself."
The man said: "I'm trying to rebuild my life, and I find it difficult to trust people due to what I have been through. I never hurt or abused her, but she made me out to be a monster, when all along, she was one."
The man said: "I feel I have finally been listened to, and whilst there have been times where I have wanted to withdraw from the case, I persevered and had to mentally prepare myself to relive what happened to me over and over again during the complex and lengthy court proceedings."
The man said: "Now she has finally pleaded guilty and admitted what she did to me, I feel like a weight has been lifted and the dark cloud that was following me has finally gone. I am relieved it has now all come to an end and that this will eventually offer me some closure in the future."
The man said: "I would say to anyone who has been affected by my story, or recognises it in someone you know, when you are ready, come forward. It can be a lengthy process but knowing that I have played a part in ensuring the truth is out there, is the first step in starting to rebuild my life."