A 32-year-old woman was yesterday given a two-year jail term suspended for four years for falsely accusing a man of trying to rape her four years ago in a bid to win back her estranged husband.

The woman, WA, pleaded guilty to filing the false report against the man, MB, on October 26, 1998. The names cannot be published by court order.

WA also pleaded guilty to simulating an offence, fabricating evidence against MB and three counts of perjury.

Magistrate Abigail Lofaro heard how WA had marital problems and suffered from acute depression for which she was taken to Mount Carmel Hospital and St Luke's Hospital psychiatric unit several times.

WA told her husband and police that MB had asked her to meet him at Kennedy Grove so that she could see her husband and MB's wife together with her own eyes.

She said that when she arrived there, MB and his friend tried to rape her.

WA told her husband that MB had tried to rape her to pay him back for having an affair with his wife.

She thought this would make her husband feel sorry for her, end his relationship with MB's wife with whom he had a child, and go back to her.

The court heard that WA's husband did go back to WA but not for long. He left her again after some time.

In handing down judgment, Magistrate Lofaro noted that MB had forgiven WA because he knew that she had been passing through a difficult time.

Besides, WA had admitted filing the false report voluntarily and had asked MB for forgiveness. WA said she did not care if her admission led to imprisonment as long as she cleared her conscience.

The magistrate noted that WA had a clean criminal record but condemned her behaviour which could have had terrible consequences on an innocent person's life.

She ruled that, in view of the circumstances of the case, imprisonment was not called for and that WA deserved one last chance to change her ways.

The magistrate ordered WA's general interdiction for five years.

Police Inspectors Simon Galea and Dennis Theuma prosecuted.