Niagara Regional Police have charged a St. Catharines woman with public mischief after surmising she "misled police" about being sexually assaulted in Niagara Falls three weeks ago.

On March 31, police responded to a report of an early morning assault in which a woman said she was accosted by five men - four black and one Hispanic - in a laneway in the Clifton Hill and Victoria Avenue area. She was treated at a Niagara hospital, and gave descriptions of each assailant.

After an investigation, detectives from the Sexual Assault Unit have formed "reasonable grounds" to believe the incident did not occur as reported. As a result, the 22-year-old woman was arrested Thursday. She was subsequently released from custody on a promise to appear in court at a later date.

Despite the incident, Niagara Regional Police stress they take allegations of sexual assault "very seriously," and hope this does not negatively impact others wanting to come forward.

Police will not release the name of the accused, saying to do so "would not advance the public interest."