Prisoner from Northampton forged email pretending to be rape accuser in bid to get case dropped

A prisoner forged an email to police officers pretending to be the woman who had accused him of a rape in Northampton in a bid to get the charges dropped.

Jamie Kightley, of Duston, was not prosecuted for an alleged sex attack in May 2019 when the court concluded the claim would not lead to a conviction.

But that didn't stop the 26-year-old trying to take matters into his own hands and get the case dismissed - and not without wasting dozens of hours of police time.

At his sentencing at Northampton Crown Court yesterday (February 18), the judge heard how Kightley - who was in HMP Ranby at the time - schemed to set up a fake email address under his alleged victim's name.

He then forged an email to himself pretending to be her and making it out as if the woman was in a sexual relationship with him.

Prosecutor Mr Andy Peat told the court: "The intention, no doubt, was to persuade those investigating the rape allegation to drop it.

"For all intents and purposes, he forged an email. He decided to concoct an email reporting to be from the same woman accusing him so he could provide it to police."

When presented with the explicit, fake email in an interview, Kightley told reportedly officers: 'Well she sent me this email - would someone who is telling the truth about the rape send me this'?

The alleged victim was shown the fake email who denied knowing anything about it. Kightley later admitted making up the whole thing.

The rape charge was later dropped - but Kightley was charged with perverting the course of justice for wasting hours of police time.

Kightley has 54 previous convictions, including several for dishonesty and burglary. He is already serving a prison sentence set to expire in 2022.

In sentencing, Recorder Patrick Upward said: "What you got yourself involved with when you came up with this scheme is a very serious offence, which strikes at the heart of the trial of justice system."

A term of one year and six months was added concurrently to his prison sentence, meaning he is still set for release in 2022.

Further, the 26-year-old was in jail during the offence of the email scheme after he was recalled to prison. Prisoners cannot create their own email accounts - leading him to enlist the help of a friend on the outside to set up and pay for the email account without knowing what for.

The friend, Danielle Driver, of Northampton, was later also charged with perverting the course of justice.

Recorder Upward said to Kightley: "Your offence is aggravated by the fact that you brought your friend into it.

"She has never been in court before and she doesn't deserve to be here now. But thanks to what you did, here she is."

Addressing Driver, the judge said: "You ought to be more careful." He handed her a community order for 12 months with no prison time.