An 18-year-old woman who falsely claimed she had been seriously sexually assaulted in Ewell was cautioned yesterday for wasting police time.
Police units rushed to the Cox Lane area of Ewell at 6.45am on Sunday, June 30, after the woman, from London, was found in a distressed state and claimed she had been the victim of a serious assault.
Specialist officers supported the woman throughout the day before she admitted making up the allegation later that evening.
Detective Inspector Antony Archibald said: "Surrey Police takes all allegations of this nature extremely seriously and it is deeply frustrating when reports like this are falsely made.
"A lot of officers’ time was put into this investigation and due to the serious nature of the allegation it was fast-tracked to the highest level which took vital resources away from other people which may have needed them.
"We have carefully considered what action could be taken against the woman and it was decided that a caution would be the most suitable form of punishment.
"I would encourage any genuine victim of sexual assault to come forward and speak to us in the strictest of confidence so we can bring offenders to justice."
A Surrey Police spokesman added: "We would like to thank the residents of Ewell for their patience and co-operation as enquiries were carried out into the allegation."
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