Officer pondered suicide after false rape allegation

APOLICE officer says he considered taking his own life after a woman falsely accused him of rape.

A judge described Samantha Murray-Evans’ actions as “wicked” – not just for the impact on the officer, but because of the effects false allegations had on the criminal justice system and on genuine rape victims.

Swansea Crown Court heard Murray-Evans and Dyfed-Powys Police officer Paul Morgan met online in 2014, and subsequently agreed to meet in person.

On October 13 they had sex in Mr Morgan’s house, and in the hours that followed she sent him a series of sexual text messages and intimate images.

The following day she returned to his house, but he asked the 44-yearold to leave.

Prosecutor Catherine Richards said the next day Murray-Evans made a complaint of rape against Mr Morgan, saying he had ripped her clothes off and sexually assaulted her.

Mr Morgan said the allegation “ruined his life” and left him on the verge of suicide.

He said he met Murray-Evans on a dating site and they dated for around six weeks before accusations were made.

Mr Morgan said: “Officers came around here and they shone a torch in my face. They woke me up by shouting my name.

“I opened the front door and seven police officers said they were there to investigate me. They arrested me in the living-room. I was just petrified. These are people I know.”

Mr Morgan was arrested by his own force just before midnight on October 15, and taken into custody – he was suspended from duty while the allegations were investigated.

The court heard Mr Morgan was on bail for five weeks until the decision was made that no further action would be taken.

Murray-Evans, of Heol Cledwyn, Birchgrove, Swansea, had previously pleaded guilty to carrying out acts intending to pervert the course of justice when she appeared in the dock for sentencing yesterday. Describing how he felt following his initial arrest, Mr Morgan said: “I went into panic mode, sheer terror.

“I hadn’t even told my parents what happened and I made a decision to take my own life.

“I sat there and you think you might as well do it, you think they’re going to find you guilty. It was a very long night and in the end I decided not to do it.”

In his victim impact statement, which Mr Morgan read to court, he said the allegations had had a devastating effect on his life.

He said he had been called a rapist in the street, had been left suffering with depression and anxiety, and was off work on sickness leave.

Judge Paul Thomas QC said it was difficult to think of a much more wicked thing than to falsely accuse someone of rape.

He described Murray-Evans’ lies as “planned, persistent and callous”, and said had it not been for the messages she had sent him it could have come down to her word against the victim’s.

Giving the defendant a 25% discount for her guilty plea, he sentenced Murray-Evans to 27 months in prison, half of which she will serve in custody.

Speaking after the sentencing, the officer said now that he has been completely vindicated, he has something to look forward to.

He said: “I’m engaged. We are going to be married next year.”