Khloe Simmonds, 26, has been jailed for seven-and-a-half years for fabricating rape claims against multiple men over a seven-year period. She was sentenced at Harrow Crown Court for eight counts of perverting the course of justice relating to accusations made between 2018 and 2026.
Sustained pattern of false allegations
The court was told that Simmonds devoted hundreds of hours with police officers reinforcing false allegations of serious sexual assault while presenting herself as a victim. At the peak of the offences, Simmonds was accountable for 2.5% of all rape and serious sexual assault claims in Harrow. Multiple men accused of rape were arrested and held for brief periods before being released.
His Honour Judge John Lodge said: "You repeatedly made false allegations of rape between July 2018 and January 2026. This was a sustained pattern of conduct, not isolated incidents." The judge stated that Simmonds' behaviour had affected the amount of resources that should have been accessible to investigate cases involving "genuine victims of serious crime".
Details of the false claims
Simmonds is a pre-operative trans woman, the court was informed, and was addressed using female pronouns throughout the proceedings. She initially attended the sentencing via video link from HMP Wormwood Scrubs, west London, but later returned to a cell and declined to watch.
Prosecutor Ben Temple informed the court that during the summer of 2018, Simmonds alleged an Afghan national had pressed a knife against her throat and subjected her to oral rape. The individual was identified, apprehended, held in custody and endured 88 days under police investigation. He refuted the accusation and instead maintained that it was Simmonds who had made unwanted advances towards him which he had rebuffed.
In February 2022, Simmonds encountered a chef on the dating application Grindr and invited him to her flat. The court was told that after consuming alcohol with the defendant, he chose to depart because he felt uneasy. Following his departure, Simmonds dialled 999 claiming she had been raped and suggested that he had spiked her drink. The individual was detained outside his home address and informed police that while at her flat, he visited the toilet and upon his return, discovered that his beer had the scent of whisky. In his victim impact statement, he characterised the arrest procedure as "humiliating", stating that he spent 20 hours at the police station.
Further allegations and impact on victims
The court was told that the subsequent month, Simmonds had enjoyed an evening on a date and later took a taxi home. Upon reaching home she dialled 999 and claimed she had been raped by the taxi driver. However, police secured data from the vehicle and discovered that it had never travelled below 25 miles per hour and had not come to a halt. Mr Temple stated that this evidence "annihilated the allegation", leading to Simmonds being arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of public justice. The court heard that she confessed the allegations were false. In a victim impact statement, the taxi driver described the ordeal as "traumatic".
In June of that year, Simmonds connected with a musician on Grindr and after consuming alcohol, they ended up at Simmonds' residence. Feeling fatigued, he asked if he could rest on Simmonds' sofa. The court was told there was no sexual contact between them and he fell asleep. While he was resting, Simmonds phoned the police and alleged that the man had orally raped her. He was arrested but maintained there had been no sexual contact, telling police: "I am an innocent man." In a victim impact statement, he said: "I find it deeply distressing that an innocent person could be subjected to such a traumatic process because of a deliberate lie."
Admission and sentencing
Simmonds alleged that she had been raped by an unknown male on three separate occasions in November last year. She also falsely claimed she had been raped on three different occasions by an unknown male between December 2018 and February 2022. In January, Simmonds alleged she had been raped on a bench by a man she had met that evening. The court was told that she had approached a group of strangers, claiming she was in an "abusive situation" and asking for "help". However, the man was swiftly cleared as footage showed no such assault had occurred, the court heard. The accused also alleged that she had been sexually assaulted by her former partner in November last year.
Dominic Benthall, defending, stated that Simmonds has been diagnosed with autism, ADHD, and has long-standing problems with alcohol addiction. "There is plainly, or was plainly, at the time an underlying mental health difficulty," he said. Simmonds had earlier admitted to eight counts of attempting and intending to pervert the course of public justice.
