'Victim' admits rape never happened

The man told police he was assaulted by three men

A man who claimed he was raped in the grounds of a cathedral, has admitted he made up the story.

The 20-year-old had told police he was assaulted by three men in the grounds of Portsmouth's Roman Catholic cathedral in November but then withdrew the allegation.

A spokesman for Hampshire Police said: "The man has admitted that the circumstances described did not happen."

The man was arrested on Friday and formally cautioned for wasting police time.

Detective Inspector Tony Adams, from Fratton's Major Crime Team, said: "We view this very seriously.

"A considerable amount of resources were allocated to this investigation and this included the necessity to redirect resources from other genuine major investigations.

"The allegation caused considerable and unnecessary worry to the community of Portsmouth and we will robustly address all such false allegations appropriately."