A law graduate faces jail after being found guilty of falsely accusing her former boyfriend of a series of rapes and assaults as an excuse for doing poorly in her barrister training.

The allegations made by Rhiannon Brooker meant Paul Fensome was arrested, charged and held in prison for 37 days.

Following an 11-week trial, the jury of 10 men and two women at Bristol crown court on Thursday found Brooker, who has an eight-month-old child, guilty of perverting the course of justice. She was given bail but could be jailed when she is sentenced later this month.

The campaign group Women Against Rape (War), which has supported Brooker, 30, claimed the police and Crown Prosecution Service put more resources into such cases than into investigating violent crimes including rape.

A War spokesperson said the prosecution of Brooker was "completely disproportionate", adding: "Time and again we see police resources diverted from rape and put into prosecuting women instead."

War argues that such prosecutions can deter women from reporting rape and domestic abuse. The spokesperson said: "We must bring an end to these witch hunts. If the authorities want to turn the clock back and put women off from coming forward, prosecutions like this are a very effective deterrent."

But Fensome, a railway signalman, called for a severe jail sentence, saying the accusations had turned his life upside down. "Anything less than four years and she's got off lightly. She could have lost me my job, my family and my good name. When I first heard about the accusations I was shocked. I was completely gobsmacked when they came to arrest me. The impact has been absolutely massive on my family. My heart goes out to anyone who has been raped and, obviously, I feel they should still report it."

Chief Superintendent Sarah Crew, Avon and Somerset police force lead for rape and sexual offences, said Brooker was calculating and manipulative.

She said: "I understand cases like this can cause real concern for victims about whether they will be believed when they come forward. We want to assure all victims of rape, sexual assault and domestic abuse that we will listen to and support you every step of the way."

A CPS spokesperson added: "False rape allegations are very serious and can have a devastating impact of those who are wrongly accused, but research carried out by the CPS last year showed such cases are very rare.

"We robustly prosecute those cases where there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest to do so, but our research has shown that very few cases are taken to court, particularly when compared to the total number of prosecutions for rape."

David Bartlett, prosecuting, told the jury that Brooker was living an "active social life in Bristol" and not doing the work required to pass her assessments, so she made up the allegations to excuse her poor record.

Brooker's supporters claim that in fact her work was excellent.

The jury heard that Brooker, who was living in south Gloucestershire, told fellow students she had been assaulted and raped. She also claimed Fensome had punched her in the ribs when she was pregnant, causing her to lose the baby.

She finally went to the police and made allegations against Fensome. But alibis, evidence from Fensome's phone and his work shift patterns undermined or disproved her accounts. Some of her injuries were judged to have been self-inflicted and the police discontinued their investigations into Fensome and turned their attention on Brooker.