Two men who were wrongly accused of rape have criticised the award of a damehood to a former director of public prosecutions (DPP) after the “catastrophic mistakes” made in her time at the helm.

Liam Allan, 24, and Samuel Armstrong, 26, said the decision to honour Alison Saunders, 58, was a “kick in the teeth”, and last night issued a direct plea to her to turn down the title.

Saunders quit her post last year after a number of controversies, including the collapse of a series of rape trials as a result of the late disclosure of evidence, leading to a review of every rape case in the country.

In the new year honours list, the former head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) was