A UK man who falsely claimed he was raped by four gay men he met on dating websites has been jailed for six years.

Mark Wixey, 43, of Herefordshire, West Midlands, met three of the men on Gaydar and another on Plenty of Fish. After hooking up with each of them, Wixey reportedly contacted different police departments in various parts of the country to report being raped, resulting in at least one of the men being arrested.

Worcester News reported that as a result of the false allegations, one of the accused men contemplated suicide and another took an overdose, of which he survived.

Initially denying the allegations, Wixey eventually pleaded guilty to all charges on November 18.

Wixey was sentenced to six years, a reduced sentence from eight years due to his decision to plead guilty.

The judge called Wixey a “troubled man” and that he was concerned by the waste of police time and the effect the allegations would have upon persons with genuine complaints of rape.