Image: Tommi Parkkinen / Yle

In May, a woman in the town of Kangasala in Finland’s Pirkanmaa region filed a criminal complaint about a pre-arranged date made through dating app Tinder that allegedly ended in rape. The Central Finland Police Department released a statement on Monday saying the alleged sexual offence never occurred.

Police made enquiries about a man named Niki and asked for tips from members of the public as part of the pre-trial investigation, during the course of which they decided that there was no reason to suspect the crime.

Detective Chief Inspector Antti Uusipaikka revealed that the woman had admitted last Thursday that no sexual offence had occurred.

According to police, while the main reason for making the false criminal report was thoughtlessness, the woman may also have been seeking revenge and compensation.

Uusipaikka stated that when the date hadn’t gone the way she desired, the woman felt she was entitled to report a criminal complaint to the police.

“The reason for making this matter public is that the investigation has caused distress to a few individuals who matched the accuser’s description of the suspect,” Uusipaikka said.

Officials plan to continue the investigation — the woman is now being charged with making a false statement during an official procedure, the punishment for which is a maximum of two years' imprisonment. However, the case is likely to be settled with a fine, the police added.