A WOMAN has been jailed after falsely accusing her friend's son of raping her.

Kelly Harwood, 43, had drunken consensual sex with the 30-year-old on a camp bed set up in her friend's kitchen.

But she felt guilty when they stopped because she realised she had betrayed her friend.

She called the police and lied to officers by claiming that she had been raped at the property in Aberdeen.

Her victim was subjected to an intrusive medical examination and interviewed under caution.

Harwood eventually admitted she had not told the truth when she was questioned again two days later. She was charged with wasting police time on May 7 last year and admitted the offence when she appeared in court.

Sentence was deferred until yesterday at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and she was jailed for a year.

Sheriff William Summers told her: "You face a very serious charge. You had consensual sex with a man and thereafter accused him of rape. It is hard to imagine a more serious allegation."

Harwood was at a party at her friend's house on May 6 and the flat had been filled with people drinking. Her friend's son turned up later and the pair became intimate when everyone else had left and her friend had gone to bed.

Harwood, of Aberdeen, told him she had not agreed to it moments after they stopped. She then called the police, saying she had been raped while she had been sleeping at the city flat.

The man woke up his mother to let her know what had happened but Harwood told them not to worry, insisting she would tell the police the truth when they arrived. However, she continued with her false story.

She was taken to Woolmanhill Hospital where she was medically examined and her victim was interviewed at a police station.

The court heard the offence deprived the public of police officers and cost a total of £1,352.

Graeme Morrison, defending, said: "She was suffering from a mental health problem exacerbated to a large extent with the amount of alcohol she had consumed."

Mr Morrison said his client had little recollection of the night and was still intoxicated when she spoke to the police. The lawyer said his client then spent about three weeks in hospital after being diagnosed with depression.

Sheriff Summers said it was clear that she suffered from a depressive illness but said the offence was so serious that only a custodial sentence was appropriate.