A mother who falsely accused 10 men she met on dating apps of dating her has been jailed.
Stacey Sharples, 31, admitted to making up allegations against the men, most of whom were arrested and spent time in police custody.
She even bragged to one of her victims that the police were ‘not pressing charges. I’ve got away with it. Yet again’.
None of the men she accused were charged.
Her false allegations are estimated to have cost the taxpayer £120,000 in wasted police and legal time.
At Bolton Crown Court, Sharples, from Farnworth in Bolton, pleaded guilty to 10 counts of perverting the course of justice and was jailed for four-and-a-half years.
Police launched an investigation after each allegation made by Sharples and said the force’s rare decision to pursue her as a suspect was ‘not one taken lightly’.
Greater Manchester Police said some of the men accused undertook intimate examinations, and almost all spent periods of time on police bail or were released under investigation.
Stacey Sharples, 31, admitted to making up allegations against the men, most of whom were arrested and spent time in police custody
Detective Sergeant Steven Gilliland said: ‘No officer goes into a rape investigation with an intent to pursue the individual making that report, and we do not want genuine rape victims and survivors to think that is what will happen if they were to come forward.
‘Genuinely, there is no better moment for a detective then when you secure a conviction for an offence such as rape, as it is amongst the most abhorrent of all offences and can cause lifelong trauma for those that experience it.
‘We took the allegations made by Stacey Sharples seriously, explored all lines of enquiry and swiftly made arrests or interviewed of all the men she accused.
‘We gave her multiple opportunities to provide further explanation or information to us, after interviews with the men and subsequent evidence uncovered didn’t align with her first recollection, as we understand that trauma can impact how victims and survivors recount their experiences.
‘Ultimately, as the evidence continued to demonstrate that the reports were untrue, coupled with the desire for justice from some of the men who had been falsely accused, it was right that we followed the evidence and pursued the individual who had actually committed a criminal offence.
‘I would like to pay tribute to the strength of these men, who have endured an experience no one would ever wish to go through, and done so with dignity. I hope they feel a sense of justice for what happened to them today.
‘To anyone out there who has been a victim of rape or any sexual offence, I plead that the actions of Miss Sharples do not stop you from seeking support, whether that be from police, a charity or support service.’
The men falsely accused by Sharples spoke of the effect the claims had on their lives.
Many of them suffered mental health problems and were unable to see their children while under police investigation.
Sharples met one of her victims, Reece Lockett, through dating app Plenty of Fish in 2018.
There was some sexual contact between the two but Mr Lockett did not pursue it further because he thought she was ‘weird’, the court heard.
Sharples asked to meet him again the following year but this time with a friend. Mr Lockett asked his cousin Mr Austen if he also wanted to attend.
The four went for a walk at a reservoir but Mr Lockett changed his mind and told her that he would drop her off nearby rather than back home.
Sharples became ‘annoyed’ at Mr Lockett and told him ‘watch what happens now’.
She called 999 and accused both men of rape. Both men were held for hours in police custody.
In his victim impact statement, Reece Lockett said: ‘My life was turned upside down the day I was falsely accused of rape. My mum and dad disowned me. My partner of five years left me. I lost my part-time job.
‘The situation affected my mental health a lot. I was constantly stressed and anxious. My mind wouldn’t switch off.
‘I kept thinking about what people believed and how they saw me. I was scared to walk around my own area because I felt labelled.
‘People messaged me on Facebook accusing me of something I didn’t do, and that made me feel isolated and ashamed, even though I knew the truth.’
Stacy Sharples admitted to making up allegations that ten men had raped her
Connor Austen said: ‘When this came out I had no opportunity to explain to my partner at the time about the false accusations. 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.
‘It affects me still now in future relationship thinking “can I trust them” or “am I going to be accused again’. She ruined seven years of my life.’
Sharples went to the home of her first victim, Kaylum Davies, in 2013, where other people were present.
She reportedly spent most of the time looking at her phone and left after an hour without saying anything.
She then called her brother and told him that Mr Davies and other men had forced her to perform sex acts on him.
She also claimed that she was threatened with a knife.
Mr Davies was arrested and spent 18 months on bail but was never charged because Sharples’ story was so inconsistent.
Kaylum Davis said: ‘I want to say that this has affected me greatly. Some of my friends fell out with me over this accusation. I still think about this to this day.
‘Now it’s all out in the open and her lies have caught up with her, it’s made me speak about it more as it’s easier to explain to people due to all the other individuals on this case has said their part, who were also wrongly accused.’
She also falsely accused James Blundell, who she met on Plenty of Fish. She invited him to the hostel she was staying at and the pair had consensual sex, the court heard.
But after making comments that made Mr Blundell feel uneasy, he left without telling Sharples.
She messaged him to ask why he had left but then told hostel staff that someone had done something to her ‘which she did not want’, reported the Manchester Evening News.
The hostel called the police and Sharples proceeded to tell them that she had been raped. Mr Blundell was arrested and spent 17 hours in custody before being released under investigation for six months.
Andrew Dearden met Sharples through an online dating app, when Sharples asked if they were a couple after the pair had consensual sex.
Mr Dearden was bombarded with messages from Sharples, asking about his whereabouts and if he loved her.
She also falsely accused him of raping her. Mr Dearden spent nearly nine hours in custody before being interviewed.
Andrew Dearden said: ‘Although I was released with no further action for the allegations, sometimes I start to think about them, and my depression starts to get worse. I then start thinking about how much easier life would be if I wasn’t here anymore.
‘Incidents like what I have just described have happened to me more than once, they have a detrimental effect on my life and cause me to not look after myself.’
Anthony Green, another victim, was falsely accused by Sharples of having ‘hurt, bitten and strangled’ her.
Andrew Jackson and Jack Byrne were also victims of Sharples’ lies.
Jack Byrne said: ‘As a result of the allegation, I was signed off work due to stress and anxiety. I was unable to function normally and struggled with constant worry about my future, my reputation, and the possibility of losing everything I had built.
‘The stress affected my sleep, my appetite, and my overall mental health. I felt depressed, isolated, and ashamed — even though I knew I was innocent.’
The 31-year-old mother pleaded guilty to ten counts of perverting the course of justice at Bolton Crown Court (pictured)
Andrew Jackson said he was not able to see his daughter while he was being investigated for the false rape accusation.
He said: ‘Due to the allegations made in this investigation, I wasn’t allowed to see my daughter throughout the course of this.
‘My relationship with my daughter is really important to me and the fact I wasn’t able to see her has had a significant impact on me.
‘I have missed out on key milestones and everyday moments, not being able to fix the situation quickly has caused me intense frustration and to feel powerlessness.
‘I have worried about court outcomes for so long for something I know that did not happen. Being a parent is central to my identity and separation from my daughter felt like losing a part of myself.’
Another man who was falsely accused by Sharples, but did not want to be named, said: ‘The arrest was difficult to process and as my family were present at the time and this made it very difficult to explain the situation.
‘This really strained relationships with family and friends and to this day still has an impact on my relationship with them.
‘At the time my ex-partner also prevented from seeing my child for the duration of the investigation. As you can imagine these were extremely difficult times.’
A man, who was the last Sharples falsely accused, said: ‘Immediately prior to my arrest, I would say my life was the best it had ever been.
‘I had been with my partner for ten years. I had a good job, and I had a nice house. Soon after, due to circumstances out of my control, I became homeless.
‘I began misusing alcohol – I was not drinking every day, but when I did have a drink, I would drink until I was black out drunk to drown things out – the things going on in my own head.
‘I would stay out until five in the morning – acting like an idiot and getting into fights. If I’m honest with myself, I’m still struggling with that now. Before my arrest, none of this was a problem. I was never like this.’
Sharples declined on several occasions to comply with police investigations, including refusing to be interviewed or undergo a medical examination.
After Sharples was arrested, she said to police: ‘You need to look into my mental health. That’s all I need to say. You’ll never understand, I had a s*** upbringing.
‘I’m a ticking timebomb, you flip me off and I’ll flip back.’
