News, views and top stories in your inbox. Don't miss our must-read newsletter Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

A trainee lawyer hoping to become a barrister cried rape 11 TIMES to get out of taking her Bar exams, a court has been told.

Rhiannon Brooker is alleged to have falsely accused her boyfriend of repeatedly raping and assaulting her - claims which saw him arrested, charged and held in custody for 30 days.

But after investigating, detectives could not find any evidence that Paul Fensome, 46, had carried out the crimes and arrested 30-year-old Brooker.

It then emerged that she had used the allegations as "extenuating circumstances" in a failed attempt to dodge her exams, Bristol Crown Court heard.

She is now standing trial for 11 false claims of rape and nine of assault, two of which include imprisonment allegations.

Prosecutor David Bartlett said: "The prosecution says that one of the reasons for her false allegations was that she was living an active social life in Bristol and not doing the work required to pass the assessments, so she falsified the allegations in order to give substance to her extenuating circumstances forms."

The court heard how "confident and outspoken" Brooker took a Bachelor of Law degree at Birmingham City University before moving to Bristol in September 2010.

She attended the University of the West of England in the city in order to take her BVC qualifications to become a barrister.

But Brooker claimed Mr Fensome, who she met in Birmingham, objected violently to the move, and shortly before her went to Bristol, Brooker appeared at a convenience store where she worked with injuries and complained her boyfriend had assaulted her.

While at UWE she told fellow students she had been assaulted and raped and occasionally sported physical injuries, but had not reported the matter to police.

She claimed Mr Fensome forced her to have sex a number of times, and on one occasion she told a friend she had lost a baby because her boyfriend had punched her in the ribs, the court heard.

In March 2011 she was assessed by an independent domestic violence advisor, who tried to encourage her to involve police and log events.

She finally went to police in May 2011 following a visit to the Royal United Hospital in Bath but all the allegations were denied by railway signalman Mr Fensome.

The court was told allegations involving false imprisonment and assault at her home were countered with "cast iron alibis" from her boyfriend.

On other occasions texts from his phone, telephone cell site analysis and his work shift patterns all either undermined or disproved further allegations.

Mr Bartlett said: "Eventually the Crown dropped the numerous charges against Paul Fensome because, taken as a whole, the evidence showed that there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction.

"Expert opinion was obtained which suggested that those injuries of Brooker that were photographed were self-inflicted."

The court heard Brooker only sat the first four of her 12 assessments for her BVC course and persuaded the Extenuating Circumstance Committee to let her sit all at a later date.

However, she failed the exams because she went beyond time limits for the retakes.

After withdrawing her allegations Brooker confirmed they were false, and admitted that injuries seen by witnesses, including her friends and doctors, were self-inflicted, the court heard.

She denies 20 charges of doing an act tending, and intended, to pervert the court of justice between May 2011 and January 2012.

The trial continues.