A WOMAN who was sentenced to two years for lying about being raped has lost her appeal.

Mum-of-one Jennifer Day, 35, was told by two senior judges in the Court of Appeal, in London, that prison sentences were “inevitable” for people who make a fake rape claim.

Day, of Williamson Way, Corringham, was appealing the jail sentence she was given after being found guilty of perverting the course of justice, when she appeared at Basildon Crown Court in July.

Mr Justice Henriques and Mrs Justice Rafferty dismissed Day’s appeal when they sat on Friday.

Mr Justice Henriques said: “Every time a defendant stands trial for rape, defence counsel necessarily point out to the jury false allegations are made.

“Allegations such as this drive yet another nail into the conviction rate. An immediate custodial sentence is inevitable when a false allegation of rape is made. It is an offence which attacks the criminal justice system.”

Talking about Day’s sentence, Mr Justice Henriques said it was “well-measured”.

Day made a tearful 999 call on January 8, 2008, claiming she had been raped at home by her ex-boyfriend Andrew Saxby.

Mr Saxby was arrested at work and held in custody for about ten hours before police became suspicious about inconsistencies in Day’s story.

They confronted Day, who had met Mr Saxby on a dating website, and she admitted making up the claim.

The court heard the investigation into the false allegation wasted 270 hours of police time and cost £4,000.

Mr Justice Henriques read out the words of the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge, made in a previous ruling on a false rape claim.

He said: “Every false allegation of rape increases the plight of those women who have been victims of this dreadful crime.

“It makes the offence harder to prove and, rightly concerned to avoid the conviction of an innocent man, a jury may find itself unable to be sufficiently sure to return a guilty verdict.”