Richess, now 20, has pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice

One said he was left 'petrified' and that it 'impacted friends, family, work'

Lies: Nicole Richess, pictured outside Bournemouth Crown Court today, falsely accused two Army soldiers of raping her on a night out in 2012

A woman who falsely accused two soldiers of attempting to rape her after having sex with them on a drunken night has admitted she made up claims of the attack.

Nicole Richess was too ashamed to tell her boyfriend she had cheated on him with the two men so she lied and said they had forced themselves on her.

The 20-year-old now faces jails after pleading guilty to perverting the course of justice yesterday.

The court heard that Richess had been on a night out with friends in Bournemouth, Dorset, in November 2012, when she bumped into a group of four soldiers.

They went on a bar crawl with the servicemen, who were based locally at the time, and Richess invited the men back to her house, where she later had sex with two of them.

Richess, who was 18 at the time, reported the soldiers after she told her boyfriend and he made her go to the police.

The two men were then questioned by police and faced disciplinary action over the accusations.

The soldiers said the claims had 'left them petrified' and had 'impacted their friends, family and their work'.

Following two weeks of investigations, officers were satisfied Richess had made up the claims and she was arrested for perverting the course of justice on November 26 that year.

Richess denied the offence and her trial was due to start at Bournemouth Crown Court yesterday.

It has taken more than two years to come to court as Richess pleaded not guilty and the two soldiers, aged 23 and 24, and witnesses were serving overseas in the Army.

But Richess, a former carer who has had to give up work for health reasons, changed her plea to guilty before the trial was due to start at Bournemouth Crown Court yesterday.

A judge warned her that she now faces jail for her 'selfishness and lies'.

Afterwards, the two soldiers told of the impact the false rape allegations have had on their lives and careers. They have already faced disciplinary action over what happened.

The 24-year-old solider, who does not want to be identified, said: 'When the allegation was made I was petrified, I've never been so scared in all my life.

'It didn't just impact on us, it impacted on everyone we knew - friends, family, work. It could have been the end of my life.

'That stigma you have attached to you the whole time is horrible, it affects everything, like relationships. I'm glad it's over and hopefully she will get what she deserves.'

The other man said: 'My family were distraught about the allegations and the worry has been the biggest thing for me.

'It's a big weight of my shoulders that it's done now. I'm just relieved and happy it's over.'

Distraught: The two men who were falsely accused by Richess, pictured outside court today with their faces muzzed to protect their identities, said the claims had 'impacted everyone they knew'

Prosecutor Sophie Stevens said in a statement yesterday: 'Attempting to rape someone is a very serious criminal offence.

'Nicole Richess made false allegations that two soldiers had attempted to rape her because she had been confronted by her boyfriend who had been made aware that she had been unfaithful.

'The investigation into her allegations revealed that she went out for the evening with girlfriends in Bournemouth.

'They went clubbing and she, with one of her friends, met four young men, army soldiers. Richess then took the two soldiers to her home where they had sexual intercourse.

Scared she started to make up stories and after three days of being pressurised by her boyfriend she went to the police and said the soldiers had attempted to rape her Prosecutor Sophie Stevens

'What she did not know is that her boyfriend of three years would be aware of what happened through rumours, as a result he confronted her.

'Scared she started to make up stories and after three days of being pressurised by her boyfriend she went to the police and said the soldiers had attempted to rape her.

'She maintained her story during the police investigation, which quickly revealed discrepancies in her statement.

'Her selfishness and lies had serious consequences professionally and personally on the two young men, who had to be disciplined according to the Army policy.

'The investigation went on their record and this limited their opportunities to be mobilised abroad.

'Their private lives had been exposed only because Richess could not take responsibility for her actions. We hope that with this conviction, they will be able to move on with their lives.'

Isabelle Gillard, defending at Bournemouth Crown Court, said Richess was of good character and came from a respectable background.

She said: 'At the time she was 18 and on the evening in question drink and drugs had been taken, in her case for the first time in terms of the drugs.

'The police investigated, the soldiers were traced and gave their account - that she had taken them back to her own home and had consensual sex with both of them.

Convicted: Richess, a former carer who has had to give up work for health reasons, changed her plea to guilty before the trial was due to start at Bournemouth Crown Court, pictured, yesterday

'They gave consistent accounts of what they said happened and the police came to the conclusion that what she said was not what happened and she was arrested.

'She is a girl of previous good character and she comes from a respectable background, she worked as a carer.'

Richess had her sentencing adjourned for reports but Judge Jonathan Fuller QC said that an 'immediate custodial sentence would be at the forefront of his mind.'

Afterwards Detective Constable Stef Belton, from Dorset Police, said: 'We spent a huge amount of time investigating the original rape allegation but it was clear very early on that there was another offence going on.

'The investigation has taken two years to come to court. The victims of this case have been waiting for that long to have their names cleared so I'm very pleased with the result in court today.

'We take allegations of rape very seriously and fully support genuine victims of rape.

'We also take any false allegation very seriously because there can be very serious consequences for the people that get arrested for those offences, particularly rape because rape has a stigma attached to it and it can ruin people's lives.

'People who make false allegations make it more difficult for true victims to come forward but they should be reassured that we fully support any victims of rape and will always investigate any allegations that are made to the police.'

It has taken more than two years to come to court as Richess pleaded not guilty to the offences and the two victims and witnesses were serving away with the army.