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'Cold-blooded liar' who cried rape twice

must pay her victims £700,000... but she STILL can't be named

By STEPHEN WRIGHT Daily Mail

A woman who falsely accused two men of rape while retaining her anonymity has been ordered to pay them nearly £700,000 in compensation, the Daily Mail can reveal.

The 48-year-old married mother of two is facing bankruptcy after a judge branded her a cold-blooded liar who ruined lives with a string of fabricated allegations.

In a landmark High Court ruling, the woman, who still cannot be named, was ordered to pay £615,711 damages to Raman Kumar, and a further £58,000 to Baldev Singh for "falsely and maliciously" accusing them of rape.

In a withering attack on her deceit, Deputy High Court Judge McKenna said it was likely the woman had made the allegations to prevent her family discovering she was having an affair.

But last night, both men said it is outrageous that their accuser is still allowed to escape being named. Mr Kumar, 46, who spent 16 months in jail before his conviction was quashed, said: "We have had ten years of hell, with our names dragged through the mud. It is grossly unfair that after a judge has found her to be a liar, she can still keep her anonymity."

Labour peer Dale Campbell-Savours, who has campaigned on behalf of men falsely accused of rape, described the ruling as unprecedented and predicted it could prompt further civil claims from men whose lives have been ruined by similar groundless allegations.

The legal action cost up to £500,000. Mr Kumar was funded by legal aid throughout. Mr Singh's action was funded by legal aid, by himself and his lawyers - who acted on a "no win, no fee" basis. The woman defended herself during the seven-day High Court hearing in Birmingham, where a jury ruled in favour of Mr Kumar and Mr Singh.

Both men lost their jobs at Cadbury's in Birmingham after being charged with raping the woman in separate incidents ten years ago. Father-of-three Mr Kumar, of Oldbury, West Midlands, was first arrested in January 1996, when police called at his home to say he was suspected of arranging a rape of the woman by two different men.

He was released, but arrested again the following month when she changed her story to say that he was one of the attackers. She told police that she had been bundled her into a car and Mr Kumar had held her down while another man raped her.

She also alleged that he made threatening phone calls and indecently assaulted her.

After two trials at Warwick Crown Court, he was cleared of rape but convicted of assault and intimidating a witness and was jailed for three years and four months in January 1997. The convictions were quashed at the Appeal Court ten months later.

Mr Singh, a Sikh, was arrested in November 1996 when he was told that the same woman had accused a Sikh man wearing a turban of teaming up with an accomplice to rape her in a car before dumping her nearby.

Despite being able to provide statements from 20 witnesses who placed him at home on the day of the attack, he was charged with rape and spent 23 days in jail on remand. When the case came to Birmingham Crown Court in May 1997, it was thrown out before even starting.

Both men say they and their families have been abused in the street and had their windows smashed. Mr Kumar was diagnosed with depression after his release from jail and has not worked since.

His marriage collapsed ten months ago and he now lives with his children at his brother's home and survives on £60-a-week incapacity benefit.

Mr Kumar, a Hindu, said: "I have been a law-abiding citizen, but this has left my life shattered. I served time in five prisons. I have lost everything - my job, my pension, share options, my wife, my reputation and my dignity.

"In the Indian community, these allegations stick. People don't say anything to my face, but I see them looking at me even after all this time. Great shame has been poured on us both."

Prior to the allegations Mr Kumar, a former £25,000-a-year production operator, had never been in trouble with the police.

The £615,711 payout consists of £450,711 for special damages, £15,000 for personal injuries, £75,000 for malicious prosecution and £75,000 for aggravated damages.

Father-of-two Mr Singh, who earned £20,000 a year at Cadbury's, spent 23 days behind bars before the charges against him were dropped. But the stigma of the allegations never left him and he had to move away from his home Smethwick, West Midlands.

He said: "Every job I went for, the company would ask me why I had left Cadbury's. I couldn't tell them the truth - it was too shameful - and as a result I just couldn't find a job."

Mr Singh, who was represented by Leamington Spa-based Ollerenshaw solicitors was awarded £29,000 for malicious prosecution and £29,000 for aggravated damages.

He received a lesser amount because he is bankrupt and was unable to provide the court with a detailed account of his financial losses. He added: "This has broken my spirit and left my whole family ostracised from our own community.

"My youngest son was still at school when this happened and he was taunted by other pupils telling him, 'Your father is a rapist'." Both men have urged police to prosecute the woman for perjury and perverting the course of justice, which would result in their tormentor being identified for the first time.

West Midlands Police refused to comment on the case. The woman lives in a semi-detached house in Birmingham worth around £150,000. Friends said she has a well-paid job. She jointly owns her home with her husband and has substantial pension funds - all of which are likely to be forfeited as a result of the judgment.

But lawyers acknowledge there is likely to be another legal battle ahead to get the money.