Hannah Sandover/FacebookA teenager has been convicted of wasting police time after falsely accusing her ex boyfriend of drugging and raping her.
18-year-old Hannah Sandover from Southwick, Wiltshire, told a friend how her ex had spiked her bottle of water before forcing himself on her in his car during an outing to the Westbury White Horse landmark.
Sandover claimed she had stretched out in the back of the car in an attempt to relieve stomach pains when her former boyfriend forced himself on her.
Sandover claimed a friend had been in the front of the vehicle at the time, but hadn’t been aware of the attack because they had been listening to music through their headphones.
Hannah Sandover/FacebookBelieving she had been sincere, the friend who Sandover confided in was concerned about the situation and contacted the police.
Sandover then gave the following statement:
He became forceful and pinned me down, I kept telling him to stop.
I think he had drugged the water I was drinking.
However, once Sandover was taken to a clinic for a medical examination, she began to change her story; admitting she hadn’t been drugged.
After family members began to question what had happened, Sandover confessed to having lied about the rape; admitting the sex had been consensual.
According to The Telegraph, Sandover has now admitted to the charge of wasting police time at Salisbury Magistrates’ Court.
The court was told how Sandover had made the accusation after her former boyfriend hadn’t wanted to resume their relationship. Before splitting up, the pair had dated for almost a year.
Prosecutor Ryan Seneviratine told the court:
Miss Sandover is extremely lucky that she didn’t get charged with perverting the course of justice, only due to her age and the fact she has no previous convictions.
Her ex-boyfriend has said his confidence in approaching girls has been completely ruined.
He was kept in custody for five-and-a-half hours and underwent intimate tests.
And all because she wanted to get back at him.
She had numerous times to say the allegations were lies, but she didn’t.
Hannah Sandover/FacebookDefending, Moses Tawo stated:
She was too scared to admit she had been lying.
The only person she told the story to was her friend, she never meant for it to be taken to the police and couldn’t tell me why she had told lies.
She has faced some health issues, and when the only relationship she had with anyone ended, she panicked, which she now shows remorse for.
Sandover was remanded on bail after the court requested the probation service prepare pre-sentence reports. She will appear before the court again on June 8.
Hannah Sandover/FacebookIf you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence contact the Rape Crisis England and Wales helpline on 0808 802 9999 (12-2:30 and 7-9:30). They also offer a victim support line on 0808 168 9111.
Male Survivors Partnership is available to support adult male survivors of sexual abuse and rape. You can contact the organisation on its website or on its helpline – 0808 800 5005.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.