Woman who alleged sexual assault fined for wasting police time

A 21-year-old woman who claimed she was sexually assaulted in Burnham on Sunday has been fined for wasting police time.

Police enquiries into allegations the woman was assaulted by a man in an alleyway off Church Street between 1.30am and 2am found the claim was unfounded and she was issued with a £80 fixed penalty notice.

A shoe belonging to the alleged victim, who said she had been walking home from a pub, was reported missing and police released a photo earlier of the matching shoe in an appeal for information (see left).

The alleyway had also been sealed off by police.

Detective inspector Sharon Hill said: "Police take all reports of sexual assault extremely seriously and dedicate a large amount of time and resources to each investigation.

"In this case, we carried out a thorough and sensitive inquiry and found the allegation to be unfounded.

"While we will provide appropriate support, anyone who makes a false allegation of sexual assault can expect to be dealt with for wasting police time and could end up with a criminal record."