A TEENAGER lied to police that her ex-boyfriend drugged and raped her, after he refused to rekindle their romance.

Hannah Sandover, 18, has pleaded guilty to wasting police time.

Salisbury magistrates heard Sandover, who gave an address in Church Street, Southwick, had been in an on-off relationship with the 18-year-old youth,for around 10 months. She later told a friend the couple had driven to Westbury White Horse.

She claimed that she got into the back of car to stretch out in an attempt to ease stomach pains, before her former boyfriend joined her and forced himself upon her.

The friend who she confided in reported what she thought were serious allegations to the police.

Keeping up her story, Sandover said in her police statement, which was read to the court on Friday): “He became forceful and pinned me down, I kept telling him to stop. I think he had drugged the water I was drinking.”

She also claimed that one of her friends was sitting in the front of the car, but was listening to music through headphones so did not know what was going on.

When Sandover was taken to a clinic for an intimate examination, her story started to change as she admitted she hadn’t been drugged.

After her family also started to question her story she admitted she had made it all up and that the pair had had consensual sex.

Prosecuting, Ryan Seneviratine said: “Miss Sandover is extremely lucky that she didn’t get charged with perverting the cause of justice, only due to her age and the fact she has no previous convictions.

“Her ex-boyfriend has said his confidence in approaching girls has been completely ruined.

“He was kept in custody for five-and-a-half hours and underwent intimate tests. And all because she wanted to get back at him.

“She had numerous times to say the allegations were lies, but she didn’t.”

Defending Sandover, Mr Moses Tawo said: “She was too scared to admit she had been lying.

“The only person she told the story to was her friend, she never meant for it to be taken to the police and couldn’t tell me why she had told lies.

“She has faced some health issues, and when the only relationship she had with anyone ended, she panicked, which she now shows remorse for.”

Sandover was remanded on bail after the court asked for pre-sentence reports to be prepared by the probation service. She will appear in court again on June 8.