Claire Morgan was jailed for two years and three months after pleading guilty to perverting the course of justice

A lying woman who made up bogus sex assault claims against an innocent taxi driver has been jailed for more than two years.

Claire Morgan, 35, of Bridgend, Wales, took a five-minute taxi ride with Samir Uddin, a father of three and treasurer at his local mosque.

But three days later she called police to claim Mr Uddin had taken her to an adventure playground, grabbed her breast and put his hand down her underwear.

Morgan even set up a fake Facebook profile under the name Sarah Jenkins to answer a police appeal claiming she had witnessed the attack in May last year.

The mother-of-one also anonymously called Crimestoppers giving a detailed witness account of the bogus incident.

But the court heard the call handler found it 'odd' because of the amount of detail she gave.

Mr Uddin, who was a treasurer at a mosque in Port Talbot, was later arrested by police and spent six hours in custody.

Prosecutor Rachel Knight said: 'On May 14 she telephoned police alleging she had been victim of a sexual assault by a taxi driver.

'She described how the taxi driver put his hand down her top and trousers.

Morgan (pictured) even set up a fake Facebook profile under the name Sarah Jenkins to answer a police appeal claiming she had witnessed the attack

'She said he opened the door and grabbed her and she said she kneed him in the genitals and ran away.'

Mr Uddin was arrested by police - but Morgan's web of lies began to unravel after she gave different accounts of the attack to friends.

The court heard she told one friend the driver couldn't put his hand in her trousers because she was wearing a belt - and told another that she had kicked out the taxi window.

Police also checked CCTV of her taxi journey and found inconsistencies.

Ms Knight said: 'Police realised that the account the defendant had given was not in line with the CCTV.'

Morgan's clothes were taken for forensic examination but only her DNA were found on the items.

The court heard Morgan had told lies in the past - claiming on social media that her daughter had left the Manchester Arena half an hour before the bomb went off.

She also told people her brother had been killed by a drink driver and that she had suffered a stillborn pregnancy in prison - which were all lies.

In a police interview the taxi driver said: 'I sensed people were judging me and I felt awkward at times.

'It felt good finally being able to tell my wife, family and friends that I was a completely innocent man.'

The court heard the driver had to hand over his badge during the six week investigation - which was the only income for his family.

The police spent 60 hours investigating the offence and £450 was spent on forensics.

Morgan, who suffers a personality disorder, pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice. She was jailed for two years and six months at Cardiff Crown court.

Judge Eleri Rees said: 'She went to remarkable lengths to bolster her account.

'Largely due to the diligence of the police officer and the CCTV the driver did not face charge.

'Here was a huge waste of police resources.'

After the hearing, police hit at the 'devastation' to the innocent taxi driver caused by the sex lies told by Claire Morgan.

Detective Constable Steve Gunney said: 'Thankfully, false allegations of this nature are relatively rare but as Judge Eleri Rees rightly pointed out, they do divert vital resources away from genuine cases.

'Claire Morgan went to great lengths to ensure her version of events was believed and her actions will have wasted valuable police time which could have been far better spent seeking justice for genuine victims.

'Her allegations also had a devastating impact on the man she accused. I hope she uses her time in prison to reflect on the harm her lies have caused.

'South Wales Police has a dedicated Rape and Serious Sexual Offences (RASSO) team which takes all reports of sexual offences seriously.

'We work closely with partners, including the Crown Prosecution Service and Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARC), to ensure victims who find the courage to come forward to report crimes committed against them are treated with dignity and respect and are given the specialist support they require.

'I would urge anyone who has been the victim of a sexual offence to report it.'