Stacey Sharples

Between 2013 and 2025, Sharples engaged in a persistent pattern of making false allegations against men in the Greater Manchester area. The prosecution at Bolton Crown Court detailed how Sharples would report the men for violent sexual offenses, often following brief or consensual encounters.^[3] In a notable fabrication on Boxing Day 2013, Sharples falsely claimed she had been forced to perform a sex act and subsequently told her family she had been attacked by nine men and threatened with a knife. While her claims involved a high number of individuals in that single instance, her conviction specifically accounted for ten distinct men who were directly victimized by her formal reports to the police over the years.^[2] Following a police investigation that eventually cleared a victim, Sharples was reported to have boasted: "I've been let go. They're not pressing charges. I've got away with it. Yet again."^[2]

Greater Manchester Police informed that most of the accused men were arrested and spent time in custody, with some also undertaking intimate examinations, and almost all spending periods of time on police bail or released under investigation, which demonstrated the seriousness with which the police takes reports of rape.^[4]

The court heard that while none of the ten men were ultimately charged with the crimes Sharples alleged, the investigations caused significant personal and professional damage. Common impacts cited in Victim Personal Statements included "mental breakdowns," severe anxiety, and loss of employment.^[3] * Andrew Dearden: One of the victims to waive his anonymity, Dearden met Sharples on the dating site Plenty of Fish. He was arrested in public while helping her sell a television and stated the experience would "stay with me for the rest of my life."^[5] * Social and Familial Consequences: Several men were prevented from seeing their children while the investigations were active. One victim reported moving to Sweden to escape the social stigma in his community, while another stated he had contemplated suicide due to the allegations.^[2]

Sharples pleaded guilty to ten counts of perverting the course of justice. During mitigation, her defense counsel stated that Sharples had an IQ of 69 and had been diagnosed with emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD). The defense argued these factors contributed to her behavior, though the judge noted she had shown little genuine remorse.^[2] On 11 March 2026, Judge Nicholas Clarke KC sentenced Sharples to four years and six months in prison. In his sentencing remarks, the judge stated:

Only belatedly by her pleas has she now acknowledged that it was all a wicked pack of lies. I take the view that she was a sexual predator. This has taken resources away from genuine crime and genuine victims.

Following the verdict, Greater Manchester Police addressed the potential "chilling effect" of the case on genuine survivors of sexual violence. Detective Sergeant Steven Gilliland issued a statement reassuring the public that false allegations are rare and urging victims to continue coming forward, stating that the police "will believe what you've told us" as a starting point for any investigation.^[1]

• False accusation of rape
• Eleanor Williams – British woman sentenced to prison for perverting the course of justice after falsely accusing nine men of rape