An innocent man was arrested after being falsely accused a trying to rape a man walking through Abbey Park in Pershore, a court heard.

Police raced to the park on December 21 last year after a 999 call made by 43-year-old Stephen Jones claiming he had been thrown to the ground and molested.

A man vaguely answering the description given by Jones spent four hours in Worcester police station being examined.

It was two months before it was established that Jones had been lying.

Jones of St Andrew’s Road, Pershore, was jailed for 12 months after pleading guilty at Worcester Crown Court to attempting to pervert the course of justice. He left the dock in tears.

Stephen Davies, prosecuting, said Jones reported the alleged attack at 5.30pm.

He claimed he had been grabbed from behind by a man who had threatened to rape him.

He had fought back, striking out, and the man ran off.

Because of the seriousness of the allegation, six police attended and an arrest was made of the man who proved to be innocent.

He had a charge hanging over him for two months and the effect had been stressful and traumatic.

Jones had been drinking and had an altercation with another customer in the pub.

He had been upset, went home and then complained to the police.

Jason Patel, defending, said Jones had been heavily intoxicated before returning to an empty home.

His behaviour was affected because he had been abused when he was a child but he was being counselled for his drink problem and his partner of six years was supporting him.

Judge John Cavell said Jones had acted “mindlessly” in making a false allegation for no apparent reason.

He found it difficult to link the actions of Jones with the suggestion that he had been abused as a child.