The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

A WOMAN was sentenced to two months in prison for making a false rape report and was told that she did a “very wicked thing.”

Wendy Ann Lewis pleaded guilty before Assistant Chief Magistrate Subusola Swain on Friday.

According to the prosecution on May 25, 2022 in New Providence, the 57-year-old caused wasteful employment of police resources by knowingly making a false report pretending to show that the offence of rape had been committed against her.

The prosecutor noted that Ms Lewis was under arrest for a separate issue at the Wulff Road police station. She made a complaint to a female police officer that she was raped by another officer at the station in an empty cell.

An investigation was opened, but the defendant apparently did not know that there was surveillance footage. The footage allegedly did not show any male officer having a confrontation with her in respect to the date and time in question.

At CDU, she was interviewed by the detective in relation to the false claim. Ms Lewis then admitted that her claim was false.

Initially, she pleaded not guilty and apologised, which prompted the assistant chief magistrate to ask what she was apologising for considering her earlier plea. However, she eventually pleaded guilty.

When asked why she had lied, Ms Lewis gave a reason along the lines that she felt “bad” in the cell.

Magistrate Swain then asked her if she understood that had there not been footage, she could have ruined someone’s life and moreover had the potential to ruin public confidence in the police.

The magistrate added that Ms Lewis did a “very wicked thing”.

While Ms Lewis profusely apologised in court, the magistrate noted that because it involved a police officer she had no choice but to sentence her to two months in prison.