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An internet dater who cried rape when her lover vanished after a hotel sex session has been jailed.

Furious Emily Pike, 23, told police the man she'd met online had attacked her both in the hotel and on a car park.

But Bristol Crown Court heard that Tom Mills, 24, had crept out of their hotel room after a steamy romp because roly-poly Pike did not match her online profile.

CCTV images proved she was lying, the fantasist was forced to admit perverting the course of justice and she was jailed for 18 months.

(Image: SWNS)

The court heard the pair arranged to meet in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, for a sexual tryst in October, 2011. They checked into a Premier Inn to have sex, but Pike woke up later to find Mr Mills had vanished.

Anna Midgley, prosecuting, said she tried to call him and he sent her texts saying he had to help a friend in accident and emergency: "She called the police. She made an allegation he raped her. She said she had consensual phone sex and when she arrived at the Premier Inn he forced himself on her.

"She said they left together and he raped her a second time in the passenger seat of his car".

Mr Mills was arrested and was subjected to medical tests, swabs and hours of questioning, the court heard. But when police checked the hotel CCTV, they saw the pair did not leave together and phone messages did not back up Pike's claims.

Pike, from Caerphilly, south Wales, has 15 previous convictions which include an earlier false rape claim which she had apologised for.

(Image: SWNS)

Jailing her, Judge Julian Lambert told Pike: "You know it is wrong to lie and it is wrong to lie and get somebody into trouble.

"Lie about rape and you are getting somebody into big trouble.

"Whether you couldn't learn, or you didn't learn, your web of falsehoods led to a young man being arrested for rape.

"He was at risk of many years of prison and he spent 12 hours in custody."

James Tucker, defending, said his client had a history of telling "fantastic lies" and has a personality disorder issues: "She is an incredibly vulnerable person. She is acutely vulnerable at her own hands. Prison will punish her and open her eyes as to understanding why she is offending in the way she is."

Outside court, Det Con Richard Worrin said all reports of sexual assault and rape are taken very seriously. This case should not deter people with genuine complaints coming forward.

"I would like to stress that prosecutions such as this are extremely rare but false allegations of rape undermine the experiences of actual victims and can have a devastating impact on those who are wrongly accused."