KEY POINTS:
A Papakura woman has admitted making a bogus rape complaint that sent police on a three-day wild goose chase. She said it was an attempt to regain the affections of a man who had helped her move house.
Nicola Alison May, 41, faces a bill of nearly $60,000 after last month telling police an armed plain-clothes detective had gained entry into her home, then sexually violated her.
The ensuing 670-man-hour investigation cost $59,382.40, a sum police accept is unlikely to be recovered.
A police summary of facts read to the Papakura District Court yesterday said May had had a brief fling with a labourer who had helped her shift house in early April.
The man, who was married with children, ended the affair soon after. But the rejection sent May - an alcoholic with a prescription drug dependency - into a depression, and she was determined to win him back.
"It was her belief that if, once 'raped', she went to the doctor and presented with appropriate trauma", that would be enough to prove the rape. She did not intend to involve the police".
May - a former pharmacist turned sickness beneficiary - smashed up her flat, cut the phone lines and pulled out clumps of her own hair to make the complaint appear genuine.
She also rubbed her knees on the carpet until they bled, scratched her own buttocks and inflicted sexual injuries on herself.
Police investigating the validity of her complaint discovered she had claimed to have been raped in 2004 but did not report the matter.
About three days after the police began the hunt for May's attacker, she contacted investigators to change aspects of her story and eventually told police the rape never happened.
The court was told May had used the plain-clothes police officer story "because this was a legitimate means by which someone could gain entry into her flat with no forced entry".
She said her story had nothing to do with high-profile sex cases involving police officers.
Her complaint to police caused Papakura residents "unnecessary fear and anxiety", the court was told.
May, through her lawyer Colin Amery, handed a letter to the court but Mr Amery would not discuss its contents before sentencing.
May is on bail and will return to the district court on June 8 for sentencing. Psychiatric reports and reparation reports are pending.
Outside court, May made a plea to rape victims not to let her actions deter them from going to police.
"I hope that my actions do not stop you from coming forward in seeking help because the help that is available from the police and other support agencies is the absolute best that is available."
Time waster
The bill for Nicola May's false rape complaint:
* Police man hours (670 at $71.82 an hour) $48,119.40
* Medical examination $1500
* Telecom charges $80
* Cleaning services at scene $225
* Typing services $1000
* Forensic services $3490
* Security services $3168
* Stationery $500
* Vehicle costs $800
* Cellphone charges $500
Total $59,382.40
