Otago Daily Times
November 18, 2000

False gang rape complaint
NZPA

Invercargill: A 21-year-old woman, who told police she had been kidnapped and raped by four men, was trying to get her ex-boyfriend's attention, the Invercargill District Court was told yesterday.

Brenda Natasha Randell, solo parent, admitted making a false rape complaint to Invercargill police on October 22.

Randell called police to her home in the early hours of the morning. When they arrived she appeared to be in a distressed state and collapsed on the ground.

She told police she had been abducted from outside a nightclub and taken to dwelling where four men had taken turns sexually violating her at knife point.

Later, she admitted the story was untrue but made a second rape complaint which she subsequently recanted.

Randell told police she made the story up to get her boyfriend's attention.

Judge Graeme Noble said Randell's actions meant police would tend to doubt her if she ever turned up with a genuine complaint.

Randell was fined $250 and ordered to pay $405 reparation for the cost of medical examination.

An application for name suppression was declined.