Woman arrested on suspicion of 'wasting police time' over viral rape claim

Woman arrested on suspicion of 'wasting police time' over viral rape claimA woman in her 20s has been arrested after being accused of wasting police time following rape claims where she said she was attacked by four men near SittingbourneNewsTim Hanlon News Reporter13:36, 20 Apr 2026Updated 13:43, 20 Apr 2026View 2 ImagesShe claimed she had been attacked by four men wearing tracksuits at the Milton Regis Recreation Ground (Image: Joe Crossley/Cover Images)A woman accused of wasting police time over claims of gang rape that went viral on social media has been arrested.‌The allegation from the woman in her 20s was shared widely on Facebook where she claimed she had been attacked by four men wearing tracksuits at the Milton Regis Recreation Ground near Sittingbourne at around 9pm last Saturday.‌The post quickly spread across local groups, including the Gossip Board of Sittingbourne, which has 46,000 members, and urged anyone with information to come forward.‌A woman was arrested on Wednesday and taken to the town’s police station for questioning. She has since been released on bail while officers continue the investigation.The force said officers were never directly contacted about the alleged assault and launched an inquiry based on the online claim. It found no evidence that such an attack had happened.View 2 ImagesChief Inspector Vanessa Foster confirmed a woman has been arrested(Image: Cover Images)‌Swale district commander Chief Inspector Vanessa Foster said in a statement: “We were made aware of social media posts about an allegation of rape.“Despite not receiving a direct report to the force about the alleged offence, officers have conducted initial inquiries based on the information available.“At this time, we have found no evidence to suggest the offence took place.‌“It is important the local community is assured that we take allegations of this nature seriously and those responsible for the social media post have been spoken to directly.“This has re...