A 27-year-old woman who wasted 800 hours of police time after falsely claiming she had been raped in a Kent park has escaped a custodial sentence.

Tracy Ann Elcombe, of Churchill Avenue, Walderslade, Chatham, was found by a member of the public shaking and crying in Victoria Gardens, Chatham, on August 25 this year.

Medway magistrates heard on Friday that Elcombe was intoxicated and said she had been raped sometime between 6pm and 8pm.

She told police she was in the park when the next thing she knew a man was on top of her, she was lying on her back and he was penetrating her. She bit him to get him off.

She handed her clothes to police for forensic testing, but refused a medical examination.

DNA was found on the hem of her skirt, but it didn't match samples from the man she claimed to have had sex with days before the supposed attack.

Police later linked the DNA sample to another man who was then arrested for rape.

The mother of two, who has a drink problem she is now receiving help for, later revealed she had been having an affair with the arrested man.

She claimed she didn't tell the truth at the time because the man was in a relationship with a friend of hers and she didn't want to break up that relationship.

The investigation lasted for 17 days. Elcombe admitted wasting police time.

Derek Hayward, defence solicitor, told Medway Magistrates: "She still maintains she may have been raped. She believes she was raped because of the way she found herself in Victoria Gardens.

"She accepts she caused the police a great deal of inconvenience. She is remorseful over what has occurred."

Chairman of the bench Brian Wolfe said: "We could sentence you to 120 days in prison because of the nature of the crime and the severity of it, but we will suspend the sentence for 12 months."

Elcombe was also given 240 hours of community service and ordered to pay £60 costs.