Jail term for tearful woman who falsely cried ‘rape’ twice

Wife wasted police time by accusing her husband and several local men of serious sexual assaults

An Ardgay woman wept as she was jailed for 45 months at Dornoch Sheriff Court yesterday for making false accusations, including two of rape.

Heather Bremner, 38, of 1 Struie Place, pleaded guilty to making false claims in February 2003, and in March and July 2008.

Sheriff David Sutherland told Bremner any allegation of rape was serious and she had made claims, not once, but twice, one placing her husband under suspicion and another accusing various local men.

He said he did not consider anything other than a custodial sentence and she was sentenced to 18 months on each of the rape allegations and nine months on an assault allegation. She will also be subject to a 12-month supervised order when freed.

Fiscal Roderick Urquhart said Bremner had told police she was at the Nip Inn at Lairg and someone had spiked her drink.

She claimed the next thing she remembered was being in a house at Lairg where she alleged she was assaulted by Laura Kerr who hit her with a long pole or stick before two men held her down and she was raped by a number of men.

She told police she had made a 999 call at the time and said she didn’t know where she was.

Mr Urquhart said police made inquiries but there was not enough evidence to proceed.

He said she also called Dornoch police and reported she had been raped by her husband at 13 Carnmhor Road, Bonar Bridge, on March 7 and 8, 2008. He said she had been taken to the victims’ suite in Inverness and three officers were recalled to duty to investigate.

He said evidence from her husband and others in the house contradicted her claims.

He said nine officers, two police surgeons, a forensic expert and an adult providing support had spent time investigating the allegations.

She had also pleaded guilty to falsely accusing a man of killing her pet rabbits and assaulting her. Police went to investigate and could find no trace of the rabbits.

Bremner admitted the allegations had been false and Mr Urquhart said alcohol had been a contributing factor in each instance.

Defence solicitor Diane MacFarlane said her client was fully aware of the seriousness of the offences.

She said Bremner had suffered an extremely difficult childhood and had never been able to get help.

She had had a drinking problem for more than 20 years.

She added: “She has blackouts and then can’t remember, resulting in a belief she has been abused in some way.

“Having created all this she didn’t have the ability to face up to the lie.”

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