Daily Telegraph 27/9/00 (re-written by RW).

She did it for the money. In 1996 teenage single mother Natalie Knighting claimed she had been raped. She then claimed, and was paid, her mandatory rape compensation of �7,500 from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board. Only later was it revealed that it was yet another rape "that ever happened".

In Sept 2000, at Newcastle Crown Court, it was disclosed that Natalie Knighting (now aged 20) had consensual sex in 1996 but that it was a sordid "cheap, one off" event influenced by depression after the birth, 3 months earlier, of one of her children. Police (presumably in the street) approached her after the incident, as she appeared "distressed".

Natalie Knighting, then aged 16, then told police officers that she'd been raped by an old tramp. Only some years later, when police cross-checked DNA in an unrelated case, was it shown that the DNA belonged to a casual acquaintance of the same age with whom she had a sexual relationship.

Her defending counsel said, "She said the first thing that came into her head". [Should that be the very first thing that comes into a girl's head these days ? - Ed].

Thereafter she "relished and enjoyed the care and attention that was being lavished upon her". Her barrister continued, "She knew what she was doing was wrong but events spiralled…. out of her control" [ no doubt with more than little help from her local rape crisis centre - ED].

Judge Hodson said that Knighting's decision "to claim compensation was thoroughly calculated". It was revealed that as a drug addict she'd used the compensation from an earlier case (when she was aged 18) to clear the large debts she had at the time. Referring to the debts incurred by having 3 small children and drug addiction the judge said, "The purpose of the claim was to clear off those debts", but concluded by saying he had "substantially reduced her sentence because of her personal circumstances"

Natalie Knighting was jailed for 6 months - not for false rape allegations but for deception and wasting police time

Foot note: In a letter to ManKind (29/8/00/) the Home Office reveals that they have no idea exactly how much is paid out in compensation to alleged rape victims. Such "comprehensive information of that nature could not be provided, if at all, without disproportionate effort and cost".

While they will provide estimates for awards paid out where children are victims of abuse or sexual abuse, the figures for women are not so forthcoming.

However, a look at "Compensation for victims of violent crime", page 47, reveals that �219,300,000 (219.3 million) compensation was paid out by the taxpayer in the year 1998-99.

The HO estimate that around 20% of that figure is absorbed by abuse and sexual abuses cases (ie �43.86m) The closest they come to stating the amount is to say that round 2,460 awards involving sexual abuse (any and all ages) involved �10.3 million in awards (ie �4,187 each).

However, using Tables we gathered when ManKind was part of the Sexual Review Team this year, and multiplying by the mandatory minimum, set to rise soon, of �7,500 we can estimate that for 1998 the number of alleged rapes is 6,500 and the number of actual rapes brought to trial is 1,500. Compensation will, therefore, be �48,750,000 and �11,250,000 respectively. The lower figure (�11.2m) is more in line with HO estimates but we can expect it to rise with the planned relaxed criteria for rape trials.

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