A woman from Warwick has been jailed for nearly four years after falsely accusing a man of raping her.

The victim of the false rape allegation has thanked officers and police staff for their role in helping to prove his innocence and bringing the woman who made the false allegations to justice.

In March 2021 Emma Bayley, 42, of Chesford Crescent, Warwick told police she had been raped by a taxi driver during a journey from Tamworth to Warwick.

The taxi driver was quickly identified and arrested but continued to protest his innocence and was bailed by police.

Following the false allegation, the taxi driver lost his job, and his marriage broke down.

The woman's claims quickly unravelled, and she found herself under investigation for perverting the course of justice.

Crime Intelligence Analyst, Brady Andrews, pieced together automatic number plate recognition data, telecommunications data and GPS data to prove the taxi was not stationary for more than 12 seconds during the journey and therefore the attack could not have taken place as she described.

The victim said: "I am very grateful to everyone for their hard work and dedication, going above and beyond to fight for justice in this case.

"Had the lies not been uncovered, it is likely I would have been charged with rape, remanded in custody and faced a trial.

"Dealing with an allegation like this, when you know you are innocent, is genuinely traumatic.

"I can't understand why someone would make up an allegation like this, undermining all those genuine victims of rape by doing so."

Lead investigator, Detective Sergeant Magnus McAuley from Warwickshire Police CID, said: "Fortunately cases like this are extremely rare but when they happen the courts treat them extremely seriously. This is a reflection of the torment they cause to the person falsely accused and the police resources they tie up.

"The impact this false allegation had on the victim has been immense and I hope he can take some comfort from the sentence handed down as he attempts to rebuild his life.

"All reports of rape and sexual assault are treated with the upmost seriousness and will be fully investigated. False allegations mean police resources are diverted from genuine victims of serious crime.

"The evidence we found that the allegation was false was so overwhelming, we were left in no doubt that we owed it to the falsely accused man to bring her to justice."

Last month at Warwick Crown Court Bayley was jailed for three years and nine months after pleading guilty to committing an act with intent to pervert the course of public justice.