NEWCASTLE, England, March 8 (UPI) -- A woman in England convicted of falsely accusing five men of rape will not spend any time behind bars, a judge has decided.
Tracy Brooks, 26, a self-described alcoholic, made false allegations against two friends within a month last summer, the Daily Mail reported Saturday. The men were arrested and would have faced lengthy prison sentences if convicted. But last fall, she admitted she had lied and the charges against the men were withdrawn.
Despite it being revealed she previously had accused three other men of rape in separate incidents years earlier, Brooks ultimately was given a 32-week suspended prison sentence and a three-month night-time curfew, the newspaper reported.
"The effect of your false complaints was two men were subjected to a substantial degree of humiliation and a colossal amount of anxiety that they were being charged with an offense that could have resulted in a very lengthy sentence of imprisonment," Judge David Hodson told the woman.
After the sentence was handed down, Brooks apologized.
"I feel devastated and ashamed of what I have done," she said. "Giving up booze has given me clarity of mind and now I feel I am a better person."
