A Deal woman who claimed she had been raped has been given a suspended prison sentence for wasting police time.

Rebecca Howard, 20, of Prince of Wales Terrace, Deal had pleaded guilty when she appeared at Channel Magistrates Court in Folkestone.

Magistrates have now imposed a sentence of four months (120 days) imprisonment which was suspended for two years.

In addition, she was ordered to do 200 hours unpaid work and pay £1,000 compensation to Kent Police. She will also be the subject of a supervision order for 12 months.

Howard had falsely claimed that two men bundled her into a car and drove her to a car park in Walmer before one of the men raped her in the early hours of Sunday February 6.

A detailed police investigation into the alleged rape proved that the offence had never occurred and Howard later admitted this.

Detective Inspector Matt Banks from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, which investigated the rape allegation, said: "We take all allegations of rape very seriously and our priority is to get justice for genuine victims of rape.

"It takes considerable bravery for a rape victim to come forward to report a crime and we will always sensitively and thoroughly investigate all reported rapes. Our priority is always the victim and we would always encourage anyone who is a victim of this type of crime to come forward and report it.

"Howard abused this and her allegation caused heightened concern within the Deal community and involved considerable time and resources to investigate. I am pleased the courts have recognised the serious impact her actions had and imposed a suitable penalty."