By LUKE SALKELD

Last updated at 23:14 13 November 2007

A woman who made eight separate false claims of rape or sexual assault has been spared jail.

Gemma Gregory, 28, accused seven different men over a six-year period.

Former boyfriends were subjected to police questioning and DNA testing to clear their names.

Her fantasy stories also wasted huge amounts of police time.

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As long ago as 2002, she admitted in a statement to police that she was ' seeking attention' from them. But it was not until last year, after recording several hundred calls either from her or about her, that they took action.

She was given a one-year jail term suspended for two years at Plymouth Crown Court for perverting the course of justice. Judge Francis Gilbert said she must receive mental treatment.

Her latest offence was in May when she rang police to say she had been raped at her home. She stuck to her story in a video interview three days later despite being warned she would be prosecuted if it was another lie.

A 34-year-old man was interviewed by police and for the next five months Gregory regularly contacted officers to ask how the case was progressing.

Yesterday, the victim spoke of his ordeal.

'We were going out for five to six months. I ended the relationship with her, but she got back in touch with me a couple of months later.

'We met up at a pub and saw each other for about two or three nights after that. I stayed at her flat one of those nights and we had sex just the once.'

He continued: 'She then left a message on my phone saying come round tonight but I was doing other things.

'The next thing I knew the police rang me up and asked me to come to see them. I was not arrested but attended the police station voluntarily. It wasn't very nice to be accused of rape.

'The police told me they thought the accusation against me was a load of rubbish.

'But I didn't know about the previous incidents, I had heard rumours but nothing more than that.'

Plymouth Crown Court heard that Gregory suffers from a personality disorder as well as other disorders.

Detective Constable Paul Weymouth, of Plymouth CID, said yesterday: 'We conducted a thorough rape inquiry.

'Because of previous allegations she had made it was strenuously explained to her about the implications of making a false claim.

'She was medically examined and video-interviewed.

Forensic evidence was taken from her. She rang us every two or three days to keep it going and claimed that her exboyfriend had made silent calls.

'She wanted him put in prison. She kept this going for a long time.' He said that some of the earlier 'suspects' had been arrested and had intimate samples taken as part of the inquiries.

The judge warned Gregory that if she did not comply with the terms of his order over the next two years, she would be jailed. 'False allegations of rape not only cause a great deal of wasted police time but also serious anguish to the person against who the complaint is made,' he said.

At a previous hearing he had told her: 'There are two possible outcomes - a lengthy period of imprisonment or treatment at an institution which will help you in the long run.'

It is understood that Gregory was not prosecuted earlier because of her apparent mental health problems and previous efforts to admit her difficulties.

A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said: 'These types of allegations are of a particularly sensitive nature.

'We have to treat each case individually and on its own merits and investigate any such claims thoroughly.

'It was not thought appropriate to take action at an earlier stage.'