PALMA, Spain, Oct. 16 (UPI) -- A woman on the Spanish island of Majorca was sentenced to a year in prison Wednesday for reporting a kidnapping that never occurred, court records said.
The unidentified woman, 31, told police her 20-month-old baby had been kidnapped and was held hostage in a locked room in her home by her ex-husband, whom she identified as bipolar and abusive. When police rushed to her home, armed with rifles and bulletproof vests, they found a family party, with happy children, in progress, the newspaper Diario de Mallorca reported.
The alleged kidnapped baby was present and in perfect health.
During the court hearing, it was explained the woman had attended the party and demanded, kicking at a door and screaming, that the ex-husband hand over their child. The father called the police at that time, confirming the child was in no danger. The woman then went to police with the allegations about her husband.
In addition to her jail term, the woman was ordered to pay 1,800 euros ($2,430) in damages to her former husband, who required treatment for stress and anxiety after the party, the newspaper said.
