Rye man’s ordeal after woman lied to police

Emily Checksfield, 41, of Owen Square, Deal, appeared at Lewes Crown Court on Monday (15 September) and was sentenced to four years imprisonment, having been convicted on 12 September of perverting the course of justice after a trial.

She was found not guilty of a separate alleged offence of burglary.

In April 2012 Checksfield alleged that a now ex-partner had threatened to kill her with a Samurai sword at an address they then shared in Rye, East Sussex.

He was arrested and after an investigation was charged on the authority of the Crown Prosecution Service.

However within weeks he had recorded a conversation with her in which she acknowledged that the allegation was false. She then hurriedly contacted police to try to withdraw the allegation.

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Ling said: “Checksfield had put this man through the ordeal of a convincing allegation, arrest, charge, initial court appearance and, for a while, a remand in custody until he secured bail.

“We will always take all allegations of violent offences very seriously, and this one was thoroughly investigated, but it became clear that Checksfield had made the allegation out of personal spite and that it had no foundation.

“It is equally important that false allegations are considered for prosecution and we worked closely with the CPS to help ensure that she was eventually brought to justice.”