Image Credit- Greater Manchester Police

A woman from Bolton has been arrested after falsely accusing 10 men of rape.

Stacey Sharples, 30, admitted to 10 counts of perverting the course of justice in relation to incidents that occurred between 2013 and 2019. She was sentenced to 4 and a half years imprisonment at Bolton Crown Court.

Greater Manchester Police said that an investigation was launched into Sharples after investigative lines of inquiry “consistently” produced evidence to the contrary of what had been disclosed by her.

They added that Sharples continuously and wilfully made false allegations, despite knowing “the consequences for the men involved.”

Connor Austen was one of the men who was falsely accused by Sharples. He said that she “ruined seven years of my life.” He added that: “I lost my home, my partner and had to defend myself for something I never did. I lost my job and couldn’t get another one.”

Another of the falsely accused men, Andrew Jackson, said that the allegations had resulted in him not being able to see his daughter, therefore missing out on “key milestones” in her life.

GMP said that most of Sharple’s victims were arrested and had to spend time in police custody.

Det Sgt Steven Gilliland praised the men involved for their “strength”, saying that they “endured an experience no-one would ever wish to go through, and done so with dignity.”

He added that whilst he hoped that the ruling and sentencing of Sharples gave the men a “sense of justice”, he pleaded to those who are genuine victims of sexual assault to not let the actions of Stacey Sharples stop them “from seeking support, whether that be from police, a charity or a support service.”