The crime that never happened - but sparked a rage bait frenzy anyway

The crime that never happened - but sparked a rage bait frenzy anyway56 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleMarianna SpringSocial media investigations correspondentGetty ImagesProtests flared in Epsom after misinformation circulated on social mediaEpsom is usually a fairly quiet suburb in Surrey, but over the last couple of weeks it's been at the centre of violent disorder.Protesters took to the streets, many demanding answers from Surrey Police about the suspects in an alleged gang rape and some suggesting asylum seekers or immigrants were involved.Vandalism took hold and arrests were made, with protesters even entering a local hotel they mistakenly believed was housing migrants.Except police now say the alleged gang rape never happened. Following a "thorough investigation", Surrey Police believes the woman who made the report of rape "sustained an accidental head injury" following a night out and made "a confused report". She had given officers permission to share that information - and the force says it takes every report of sexual offending seriously.How did this happen, and could it happen again? All evidence points towards online misinformation and then a real-world frenzy - and I've been investigating it for the BBC's Top Comment podcast.Information vacuumSurrey Police issued a public appeal for witnesses on 12 April, saying that an alleged rape had taken place outside a church in the historic market town, south west of London, in the early hours of the previous day.The force said it had received reports a woman in her 20s had been attacked on her way back from a nightclub.Last year, new guidance was issued by the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) encouraging forces to consider disclosing the ethnicity and nationality of suspects in high-profile cases in a bid to reduce the spread of misinformation.Surrey Police says its initial appeal about alleged suspects lacked this information "because...