A former Metropolitan Police officer who falsely accused a fellow officer of sexually assaulting her after she was running late for work has been ordered back to prison after senior judges ruled her original sentence was too lenient. Lauren Evans, 35, from Maidstone, Kent, was originally jailed for 12 months in March after being convicted of perverting the course of justice. However, the Court of Appeal has now increased her sentence to two years under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme. Having already been released from prison, Evans has now been ordered to return to custody.
False Allegation Triggered Major Police Investigation
The court heard that Evans, who was based at Bromley Police Station, fabricated claims that she had been pulled over by an officer in an unmarked vehicle on the A20 in south-east London in March 2023. She falsely alleged that a plain-clothed Kent Police officer had carried out an intimate body search after stopping her while she was travelling to work. Evans initially messaged senior officers saying: “I’ve just been pulled over!!” as she realised she was running late for her shift. Although she ultimately arrived on time, prosecutors said she continued repeating the false account to colleagues, with the story escalating as she added further details.
Innocent Officer Arrested
The allegations prompted a major investigation involving more than 30 detectives and over 1,500 hours of police enquiries. Investigators identified PC Alex Watson as a potential suspect after discovering he had been driving an unmarked police vehicle in the area at the relevant time. He was arrested at his home in front of his wife and two young children, held in custody for 23 hours, interviewed and suspended from duty. However, detailed analysis of CCTV and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) data later proved that no stop had taken place and that his vehicle had never left the motorway. He was completely cleared of any wrongdoing.
Dismissed From the Force
Following the collapse of her allegations, Evans was arrested and later convicted by a jury of perverting the course of justice. She was dismissed from the Metropolitan Police Service following a misconduct hearing and is due to be placed on the College of Policing Barred List, preventing her from serving as a police officer in the future.
‘A Simple Lie’
During the original sentencing hearing, Judge Martin Griffith KC described the offence as arising “all through a simple lie told in circumstances which must have had something to do with being late.” Following the successful referral under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme, the Court of Appeal ruled that the original one-year prison sentence did not adequately reflect the seriousness of the offence and increased it to two years. Reacting after his name was cleared, PC Watson said the false allegation had devastated both his professional and personal life.
“To make up an allegation of this nature I find disgraceful. I was treated like a violent criminal,” he said.
He added that both he and his wife, who together had served around 30 years in the Metropolitan Police, felt “betrayed and let down by the organisation.” The case has been cited as one of the most serious examples of a false allegation leading to the wrongful arrest of a serving police officer.
Originally published by UKNIP.
