Following an allegation of sexual assault in Swindon at the weekend, a woman has been arrested on suspicion of wasting police time.
Wiltshire Police initially received a report that a woman had been sexually assaulted in Drakes Way in the early hours of Saturday morning.
A cordon was put in place in the area and extensive enquiries were conducted by officers.
An 18-year-old woman has now been arrested on suspicion of causing wasteful employment of police and committing an act/series of acts with intent to pervert the course of public justice.
She has been interviewed and released under investigation while enquiries continue
Det Chief Insp Helen Jacobs said: “We take reports of this nature extremely seriously and a large number of officers were heavily involved in conducting extensive enquiries at the weekend to identify the person involved, and manage any risk to the public.
“I fully appreciate how difficult it is for victims of genuine sexual assaults to come forward and report their ordeal to police and so incidents like this, when reports are deliberately made up, can make it even more difficult for real victims to take that step in calling police.
“I would continue to urge anyone who has been sexually assaulted to please report their concerns to police immediately on 101 or 999 in an emergency and your call will be dealt with sensitively and professionally.”
