A 21-year-old has spoken off his relief that his girlfriend stood by him after he spent 17 hours in police cells for a 'drunken fumble' - that led him to being falsely accused of rape.

Damon Osborne, then 18, went for after-dinner drinks with friends at a Wetherspoons and struck up a conversation with Sophie Skinner, 25, in June 2016.

They went their separate ways but Skinner spotted Mr Osborne later in the evening as he waited for a lift, and coaxed him into a nearby public toilet for sex.

The incident descended into the ultimate nightmare the morning after when he was falsely accused of rape - but new girlfriend Jade Stimpson stood by his side, despite his betrayal.

Damon Osborne, from Abergavenny, in Wales, with his girlfriend Jade Stimpson, who stood by him despite his betrayal

Sophie Skinner arrives at Newport Crown Court on Friday 12 October 2018. She was found guilty of perverting the course of justice after making a false allegation of rape and was sentenced to 18 months in prison

Jade Stimpson, 22, stood by Mr Osborne's side after he was falsely accused of rape. The couple are now parents to a baby boy

And as Mr Osborne's accuser Sophie Skinner serves a prison sentence for her lies, the couple - now parents to a baby boy - have declared they are stronger than ever.

Sales assistant Mr Osborne, 21, said: 'I was convinced the police wouldn't believe me and that my moment of madness was going to ruin my life.

'But Jade stuck by me from the start - I'm so grateful, I can never thank her enough.'

And Miss Stimpson, 22, said: 'Damon is the softest guy I know. There was never a moment of doubt in my mind.'

The couple, from Abergavenny, South Wales, had been dating only four months when the incident occurred.

Mr Osborne said: 'I don't know why I did it. I'd had a few drinks but it was totally out of character for me. To say I'm ashamed is an understatement.

'Later that night, I had text from a friend saying the police had been to his house and they were looking for me.

'I thought it was just a prank but I passed the loos again at about 10pm and the place was crawling with officers.

'I went over and asked if it was true that they wanted to speak to me, and the next thing I knew, four of them pounced and arrested me.

'It was the first time in my life I'd had any contact with the police but as they read me my rights I realised I was being held on suspicion of rape.

'In that moment, it felt like my whole life was crumbling before my eyes.'

Ten days after his arrest, Mr Osborne (pictured with Jade Stimpson) was contacted by detectives who said CCTV had surfaced which proved his story that sex with Sophie Skinner was consensual

Meanwhile Miss Stimpson - who was still living with her mother - was home in bed oblivious to Mr Osborne's plight.

She was woken in the early hours of Sunday morning by a phone call saying her boyfriend had been arrested.

'I just burst out crying,' she remembers. 'The call was from one of his pals, he had no idea what Damon had been picked up for, and when I called the police they couldn't tell me anything.

'I tried ringing Damon but there was no answer because the police had his phone, I sent him loads of texts telling him to stay calm and then I spent the night lying awake, sleepless with worry.

'All I could think was that he had somehow got caught up in a fight - but that was so unlike Damon. It didn't make any sense.'

Mr Osborne spent 17 hours locked in a custody cell and had to undergo a humiliating medical examination before he was grilled by detectives.

'I told them my version of events, but it was pretty obvious they didn't believe me, and as far as I knew there was no evidence to back me up,' he remembers.

'The thought of going to prison - especially for something I hadn't done - was absolutely terrifying. I was going to be labelled a rapist for the rest of my life.'

Mr Osborne was released on bail and went home to his grandparents' house, where he was living, in floods of tears.

Broken and fearing the worst, he called his girlfriend and arranged to meet up the following day.

She said: 'It was such a relief to hear his voice, even though he was in complete bits,'

'I asked what had happened but Damon just said he loved me and wanted to explain face to face.

'The next day we met on the canal and both burst out crying as soon as we saw each other.

'Damon told me again he loved me and said he'd understand if I wanted to leave him - and then said he'd been arrested on suspicion of rape.

'My stomach dropped and I felt sick as he told me what had really happened.

'He said he was drunk and didn't know why he'd done it, then asked if I thought he was capable of rape.

'Of course, I knew he could never do something like that.

'Yes - he'd betrayed me and there were times over the coming weeks when I'd question whether our relationship was going to survive, but I never thought for a second that he was guilty.'

Word of Mr Osborne's arrest soon spread in the community and the couple endured stares and whispers from Sophie Skinner's supporters in the street.

He lost one of his two part-time jobs as he was subject to a 7pm police bail curfew and had had to tell his boss the shameful reason for his arrest.

Miss Stimpson said: 'I could see his head was in pieces, there was no way I could walk away and abandon him to deal with it on his own. I had to stick by him.

'We had no idea how long it was going to take, but I told Damon that whatever was coming, we'd face it together.'

Ten days after his arrest, Mr Osborne was contacted by detectives who said CCTV had surfaced which proved his story that sex with Sophie Skinner was consensual.

'It was such a relief,' he says. 'Officially I was in the clear, but of course mud sticks and for months afterwards I felt uncomfortable being out on the town.

'People who know me never had any doubts, but I was haunted by the accusation and suffered with anxiety and depression.'

And Jade remembers: 'We worked hard to put it behind us. I'd lost a lot of trust in Damon. He's a keen darts player and would often go away with the team for matches.

'There were times I'd wonder what they were really up to, but his friends reassured me, it was darts, a curry and bed.'

The pair thought it was the last they would hear of Skinner's lies - until the police contacted Damon in June 2017 saying they planned to prosecute her.

Six months later, in an unexpected surprise, Jade discovered she was pregnant.

She and Damon moved in together in March last year and their son was born in July.

Skinner went on trial at Newport Crown Court in May, accused of perverting the course of justice.

It ended in a hung jury and she was back before the court on the same charge in September, when she was found guilty.

The court heard Skinner, also from Abergavenny, had been caught on camera running up to Damon and hugging him.

During sex in the toilet she'd asked if he would go out with her - but Mr Osborne had turned her down because he was going out with Jade.

She'd warned him she could get him into trouble - and had then returned to Wetherspoon's to tell door staff she'd been raped.

In October 2018, Skinner was locked up for a year and a half.

Mr Osborne added: 'I wanted justice, and her conviction has drawn a line under it - it's the ultimate proof for anyone who still doubted me that I was innocent all along.'

Miss Stimpson, who works as a hospital catering assistant, said: 'It's hard enough sometimes for genuine victims to be taken seriously. Sophie's lies just make it even tougher for them.

'Lying about rape is so offensive to women who've really been through it.'

She added: 'Damon and I have been put through the ultimate test, and our relationship survived. I trust him completely now and know he'll never hurt me again.'