A mother of five who admitted filing a false rape report against her partner was given a suspended sentence and a general 10-year interdiction.

Bianca Hoyer, the 33-year old German national, was arraigned on Wednesday under arrest and charged with filing the false report knowing fully well that her partner, also of German nationality, was innocent.

Prosecuting Inspector Joseph Busuttil explained that the woman, apparently fearing that the German authorities were attempting to take away her youngest child, made up the rape story about her partner.

Yet, when the police began to investigate, the truth soon emerged and it became clear that the report was false.

Defence lawyer Joseph Brincat, assisting the accused as legal aid counsel, informed the court that the woman’s child was in hospital and that her greatest concern was the well-being of her child.

Moreover, Dr Brincat pointed out that the woman had fully cooperated with the police.

In the light of these submissions, the court, presided over by duty magistrate Doreen Clarke, declared the accused guilty upon her own admission and gave her a one-year jail term suspended for two years.

The court further placed the accused under a 10-year general interdiction.