SINGAPORE - A Japanese women was fined for lying in making a rape claim that triggered a massive investigation involving 59 police officers, news reports said on Thursday.
Marin Nakamura, 26, told Singapore police that she had been attacked from behind and knocked out near her condominium on October 2. She said she woke up naked from the waist down.
It turned out the attack never took place, The Straits Times said. The woman had lied because she was upset after having sex with a friend.
District Judge May Mesenas fined Nakamura 1,000 Singapore dollars (657 US dollars), saying there were unusual and exceptional circumstances.
The court heard that Nakamura, a customer-service executive, called up a colleague in tears and told her how she was grabbed, knocked out and raped as she was on her way home.
The friend called police, though Nakamura asked her not to.
After Nakamura repeated the story, 59 officers and a team from the police canine unit were dispatched to the alleged scene to search for a suspect. No assailant was named or arrests made.
The forensic examination, including DNA testing, cost more than 22,000 Singapore dollars (14,473 US dollars), which Nakamura has since paid.
. . . Nakamura could have been jailed for up to six months . . . more
