A WOMAN who made a false rape complaint after having consensual sex with a man in a car park is to be sentenced in January.

Jacinta O’Connor’s bogus statement saw the home of an entirely unconnected Czech national searched and his clothes confiscated after she claimed she had been attacked by a “Pakistani-looking” man the night of the 2014 All-Ireland football final.

2 Circuit Criminal Court in Tralee

CCTV later established the 27-year-old had actually had sex with a local man in a car park behind a courthouse.

O’Connor, of Steelroe, Killorglin, Kerry, was convicted of making a false report of a rape and wasting Garda time in November 2016.

Her trial heard she had gone to gardai in Killarney at 4am that night and gave a detailed account of being followed and raped by a foreigner in a green hoodie.

A four week garda investigation ensued.

CCTV footage was inspected and a man, a Czech national, with a green hoodie and foreign complexion was identified walking behind her on the street that evening.

Gardai obtained a warrant and searched his apartment and took away clothing.

“He was close to being arrested,” Sergeant Leo Randles told prosecutor Tom Rice at the sentencing hearing today.

2 Justice Thomas E. O'Donnell oversaw the case

“Fortunately he was not, as further CCTV footage showed Ms O’Connor in the company of very much native gentleman, white, Caucasian,” the sergeant agreed with Mr Rice.

The Kerryman and Ms O’Connor had had consensual sex in the car park, it emerged.

The foreign national who “was in the frame” falsely has since left Ireland, the court was told.

Defence counsel Elizabeth Murphy said there had been “a confluence of events”, her client has now given up alcohol, has changed her friends and has since got married.

She works now as a secretary in a community organisation.

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Remarking that “the reality is she brazened it out. and that cannot be lost sight of,” Judge O’Donnell said.

He added that there had been a trial, she had denied the allegation and “she put someone in the frame” for the crime of rape.

He adjourned judgement until January 15, to study lengthy probation service and psychiatric reports.