A woman has been arrested on suspicion of wasting police time after reports of a sex assault at the weekend.

Police cordoned off the path linking Drakes Way and Shrivenham Road on Saturday morning after hearing a woman had been attacked.

But now an 18-year-old has been arrested on suspicion of causing wasteful employment of police and committing a series of acts with intent to pervert the course of public justice.

She has been interviewed and released under investigation while enquiries continue.

Detective chief inspestor Helen Jacobs said: “We take reports of this nature extremely seriously and a large number of officers were heavily involved in conducting extensive enquiries at the weekend to identify the person involved, and manage any risk to the public.
“I fully appreciate how difficult it is for victims of genuine sexual assaults to come forward and report their ordeal to police and so incidents like this, when reports are deliberately made up, can make it even more difficult for real victims to take that step in calling police. 
“I would continue to urge anyone who has been sexually assaulted to please report their concerns to police immediately on 101 or 999 in an emergency and your call will be dealt with sensitively and professionally.”