John Lewis assistant, 21, advertised herself as 'bondage princess', had sex session with stranger... and then cried rape because she was trying for baby with boyfriend



Kirsty Sowden met victim Andrew Boarer on no-strings attached website



She arranged encounter in which she wore dog collar and was spanked

But the shop worker then contacted police to say she had been raped

Mr Boarer was arrested at his workplace in front of his colleagues

Investigation cost nearly £14,000 and wasted 376 hours of police time



Jailed: Kirsty Sowden cried rape after a sex session in which she dressed up as a dominatrix

A John Lewis sales assistant has been jailed for crying rape after becoming embarrassed by a sadomasochistic sex session she arranged with a stranger.

Kirsty Sowden, 21, met the man she would go on to accuse of attacking her after advertising herself on a website for no-strings-attached encounters.



Although she was trying for a baby with her boyfriend at the time, she visited Andrew Boarer’s home and voluntarily participated in a sex session that involved her wearing a leather dog lead and being spanked.



Shortly after leaving the flat in Maidstone, Kent, however, she became racked by guilt and called police claiming she had been raped. She said a balding stranger in his 40s had raped her in a park after grabbing her arm as she left a gym in nearby Gravesend.



Sowden, met her victim online after advertising herself as a 'BDSM princess' - standing for Bondage, Domination and Sadomasochism - on a no-strings attached website.

Police eventually untangled the dominatrix’s web of lies and charged her with perverting the course of justice. The investigation had already cost nearly £14,000 and wasted a staggering 376 hours of police time.

Sowden, of Northfleet, Kent, pleaded guilty and was jailed for 14 months when she appeared at Maidstone Crown Court on Monday



Sentencing, Judge Philip Statman said: 'I see little sign of genuine remorse from you or, indeed, any real understanding of just how serious your actions have been.

'Rape is a dreadful crime. False allegations of rape undermine the plight of genuine victims. The impact on your victim has been considerable.

'What occurred in the privacy of his home, however much certain members of the community may find that reprehensible, has been made public.

'He has had to move on in work. He has been made the subject of ridicule. The police inquiry involved many officers and many, many hours of police time at considerable expense.

'Little remorse': Kirsty Sowden was jailed at Maidstone Crown Court after a fake rape report to police

'You are a highly intelligent, well-educated young woman. At the time you were in good, full-time employment. But at the end of the day there is absolutely no doubt this offence passes the custody threshold.'

Sowden met Mr Boarer online in March last year. He was going through a divorce at the time and the pair arranged to meet at his flat.



She agreed to strip off within five seconds of her arrival and the pair indulged in various sex acts, including intercourse. Mr Boarer also put her in a dog collar and lead and spanked her.

In evidence to the court, he described how Sowden had said her boyfriend would kill her if he found out. 'They were trying for a baby and she felt guilty,' he said.

Shortly after the shop assistant had left his flat, she contacted police claiming she had been raped.

She described being attacked by a stranger as she left a gym in Gravesend, Kent, dragged into a park and sexually assaulted.

Police arrested a man based on her description but soon realised he was innocent.

As a separate line of enquiry, police traced DNA samples which led them to Mr Boarer, who was arrested at his workplace in front of a large number of colleagues.



He was questioned and held in a police cell before being released on bail.

It was only later that the police discovered an online exchange between the suspect and Sowden and realised that she had been lying.

Speaking after the case, DC Richard Dorey said that hundreds of hours and thousands of pounds were put into the investigation.

Workplace: Sowden was employed as a shop assistant in department store John Lewis

He said: 'The sentence of 14 months in jail is a fair sentence. It should stop people making unfounded allegations and is a very serious sentence for someone so young.

'She was maintaining, up to the last minute, parts of the account. She didn’t seem to want to be completely truthful.'

Malcolm Gilbert, who works for rape charity Family Matters, today condemned Sowden’s actions.

He said: 'The position of the group is unanimous in condemning any woman, or indeed any man, who makes false allegations because of the harm to genuine rape victims, to undermine the whole business of rape.