Man falsely claimed he was raped

9:24pm Monday 14th January 2008

A MAN who falsely claimed he had been raped as a schoolboy sparked a four month police investigation before admitting he had made up allegations.

Sajid Bharucha, aged 21, of Leach Street, Bolton told officers that when he was 13 a man had offered him a lift home from school but then had taken him home, tied him to a bed and raped him before dropping him back off at school.

He claimed the rape had been repeated when he was 16-years-old.

But at Bolton Crown Court, sitting at Bury Magistartes' Court today he pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice.

Susan Carter, prosecuting, told the court that in February last year Bharucha had made the allegations about the man, who was not identified in court.

Mrs Carter said police took the allegations seriously and the man was subjected to surveillence for a month before being arrested and questioned. He was on police bail for three months before officers, by now suspicious of Bharucha's story, told him he was not being prosecuted.

The court heard how Bharucha, who a year earlier had made a similar allegation about another man, admitted to police that he had not been raped.

He claimed he had been stressed and had fallen out with the man over £20 he claimed was owed to him.

Bharucha had met the man after putting up a notice in a telephone box.

"He met up with this man and he engaged in activities with him on a number of occasions where payment of money was supposed to take place," said Tom Fitzpatrick, defending, adding that Bharucha was hoping to buy an amplifier for an electric guitar.

But Mr Fitzpatrick appealed for the judge, Mr Recorder Corless not to jail Bharucha stressing that he is vulnerable and has a very low intellectual level.

"His appreciation of what is permissible is worlds apart from that of an ordinary individual," he said.

It was revealed in court that the man Bharucha had accused had refused to give a victim impact statement and had also been questioned on two occasions by police after being seen in suspicious circumstances with children in his car. No charges were brought.

Warning Bharucha that he had narrowly escaped jail, Mr Recorder Corless sentenced him to a 12 month community order with supervision.

"I consider this to be an exceptional case," he added.

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