Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

UK: Prison officer jailed for lying about being raped by Asian taxi driver

A former prison officer is has been locked up for falsely accusing an Asian taxi driver of raping her.
Victoria Hoynes nearly destroying the reputations of two innocent cabbies and wasted many hours of police time while her allegations were investigated over a busy Bank Holiday weekend. It became clear her story was unfounded when dash-cam footage from one of the drivers’ cars was reviewed by officers.

It was then that she was interviewed not as a potential victim, but as a suspect. As well as working with sex offenders at HMP Frankland, County Durham, Hoynes was also an aspiring model.

She took part in Durham’s Next Top Model in 2013 and had entered the Miss Newcastle beauty pageant the following year. Hoynes stuck to her story when interviewed and said she wouldn’t risk her job and ‘lifestyle’ by lying about what had happened.

But investigating officers say it was only when the dash-cam footage was shown to her that she changed her account.

Police received a call at 3.49am on May 26 last year from Hoynes’ mother, who told them she had come back from a night out in a distressed state, claiming she had been raped by an Asian taxi driver outside Lanchester Road Hospital, on the A691, near Durham.

The prison officer said she took a taxi from the city and claimed the driver, an Asian man in his 40s, stopped the car and carried out his attack.

She alleged he assaulted her on the front passenger seat before pushing her out of the car into the grounds of the hospital. Hoynes, 27, said she contacted a friend who picked her up and noticed she had twigs in her hair and scratches on her clothing.

Shaun Dodds, prosecuting, said in her initial interview she changed her description of the driver to being in his 20s, with spiked, gelled hair.

After extensive inquiries a driver on duty that night was arrested and denied the offence, stating he had taken a fare to Crook, County Durham at about that time.

The cabbie was discounted as a suspect and the focus turned to a second driver who, it emerged, had dropped Hoynes, at the hospital.

He said he drove straight home afterwards and footage from his dash-cam showed his passenger got out unaided and there was no contact between the pair.

Both suspected drivers spoke of the effect the accusations had on their livelihoods and family life, while the case’s lead investigator said Hoynes’ actions may deter future rape victims from coming forward.

Hoynes, from Witton Gilbert, County Durham admitted intending to pervert the course of justice.

Adam Birkby, defending, said she now accepts full responsibility and wants to make ‘sincere apologies’ to both implicated drivers and to the police.

He pointed to a psychiatric report which stated that her false allegations may have been an unconscious result of a depressive illness from which she suffered since breaking up with a partner in 2018.

Mr Birkby added: ‘Ultimately, it’s been a tragedy for all concerned, particularly the two men.’

Jailing her for 20-months at Durham Crown Court, Judge James Adkin said much effort went in to proving her ‘wicked complaint’ was, ‘a complete fabrication’ which took its toll on both suspected men and on policing resources.

He added: ‘This type of offence can affect the prospects at trial of cases where it may be finely balanced as to whether women get the justice they deserve.

‘I find it difficult to see how distress about a break-up would cause you to make such a wicked complaint against someone totally innocent.’
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
×