A Dundee woman who lied about being sexually assaulted has successfully appealed her six-month jail term — having spent just five days in prison.
Joanna Robertson, 26, admitted making up a story about Vadims Senchenko stalking her through the city centre before claiming she was pushed against a wall and attacked.
She went to Bell Street police station on July 6 2013 to report that her alleged attacker had tried to chat to her outside a bank branch before following her into Coutties Wynd, where she claimed Senchenko touched her over her tights before attempting to assault her further.
But when police poured over CCTV footage they couldn’t find any evidence of the attack.
Last March, Robertson admitted making up the claim and was sent to jail for six months.
But she only served five days behind bars before her solicitors won her a liberation order while they worked on her appeal.
More than 17 months on, Robertson has now had her jail sentence quashed after she was admonished at the Court of Appeal in Edinburgh.
A spokeswoman for the court told the Tele that her bid for freedom was successful due to her family commitments as a mother and good behaviour since launching the appeal.
Robertson, who used to live in Leith Walk, Menzieshill, is now believed to have moved to England since being released from prison. During her initial hearing at Dundee
Sheriff Court last year, it was revealed that Senchenko was forced to spend 12 hours in custody while police made their inquiries into Robertson’s claim.
He also had to have DNA taken for evidence and was medically examined by a doctor.
Her lies cost the force 69 man hours and more than £1,000 as they tried to establish the truth. There were also further costs for an interpreter to help Senchenko speak to officers.
But despite the police drawing a blank from CCTV footage in the area of the alleged offence, Robertson was adamant her story was true.
Conservative justice spokeswoman Margaret Mitchell MSP said the public would have legitimate questions as to why Robertson was given a lesser penalty.
She said: “It is difficult to imagine the stress and sense of injustice the victim of this individual’s vicious lies must have felt.
“This sense of injustice will only have been compounded by the granting of her appeal.
“Not only has she tried to ruin an innocent person’s reputation but she has also done immeasurable damage to the many women who are the victims of stalking and or sexual assault but struggle to be believed.
“All at the taxpayers’ expense.”