A former Metropolitan Police officer who fabricated a sexual assault claim to avoid being late for her shift has been ordered back to prison after the Court of Appeal increased her sentence to two years.
False Claim and Investigation
Lauren Evans, 35, from Maidstone, Kent, was previously jailed for one year on March 2 after being found guilty of perverting the course of justice at Southwark Crown Court. The Court of Appeal referred the case under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme and doubled her sentence.
Evans, who was based at Bromley Police Station, claimed in March 2023 that she was pulled over on the A20 in southeast London and subjected to an intimate body search by a man posing as a police officer. She sent messages to senior officers saying, ‘I’ve just been pulled over!!’ while running late for her shift. However, no stop had occurred, and the lie ‘snowballed out of control’, the court heard.
Impact on Innocent Officer
The false claim led to a serving Met officer being arrested in front of his wife and children, spending a night in custody, and being suspended from duty. The investigation involved more than 30 detectives and over 1,500 hours of work. The officer was later cleared when CCTV and number plate recognition footage showed his vehicle never left the motorway.
Judge Martin Griffith said during Evans’ sentencing that her crime was ‘all through a simple lie told in circumstances which must have had something to do with being late’. Evans had given a detailed emotional statement describing the fake assault.
Misconduct and Return to Prison
In January this year, a misconduct hearing ruled that Evans should be dismissed from the force without notice. After being released from prison following her original sentence, she now must return to serve the increased term.
