'Lonely' Ely man who made false rape allegations is jailed

Darren Moore's false rape allegations left one man feeling suicidal, police said

A man who falsely accused five other men of raping him, told police he did it because he was lonely.

Darren Moore, 55, of Douglas Court, Ely, made 14 rape or sexual assault allegations to police between June and November 2022.

Cambridgeshire Police said one of the men falsely accused had been left "feeling suicidal".

Moore admitted five counts of perverting the course of justice and was jailed for three years.

Police said Moore initially told them that he would invite men back to his home, they would exchange explicit messages on an online dating app, before they raped or sexually assaulted him.

As a result, several of the alleged suspects were interviewed under caution.

But investigators became suspicious when Moore became "vague and contradictory" during interviews.

They said Moore attended five forensic medical examinations but consistently provided false information during five separate victim interviews.

'Despicable'

He was arrested on 10 November 2022 for perverting the course of justice, and admitted the 14 allegations were all false.

He told officers he had made the claims because he was lonely.

Moore was charged with perverting the course of justice and pleaded guilty to all five counts at Cambridge Crown Court on 26 February.

He was sentenced at the same court on 11 April.

Det Insp Mike Minett said: "Making false allegations in this way is despicable and has a huge impact on the people who are accused.

"One of the victims has been left feeling suicidal, has panic attacks and struggles to sleep. Another told how he has lost all trust in other people.

"I hope this case brings all of Moore's victims some level of closure and allows them to move on."

He added: "His actions wasted the time and resources of the police and other support services available for victims of sexual offences."