A young shop worker falsely accused a married couple of rape after her boyfriend found out about a late night threesome at a north-east hotel.
Dionne and Shaun Clark were questioned under caution, detained for hours and remained under investigation for a months as Hannah McWhirter’s lies spiralled out of control.
The 21-year-old told police the couple forced her to have sex against her will and claimed she had only visited their hotel room to use the toilet.
But the truth was McWhirter had spent days scheming behind her partner’s back – and carefully planning a night away with the couple.
Yesterday, McWhirter appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and admitted wasting police time by making the false rape claims.
The court heard McWhirter and Mrs Clark, 30, had become close friends as they both worked together at the same city department store.
As a result of their friendship McWhirter was introduced to her friend’s husband and the trio became close.
Fiscal depute Elaine Ward said: “Both Mr and Mrs Clark and the accused spent a lot of time together socially and exchanged texts and other media messages on a daily basis.
“The nature of their relationship became more intimate and in June 2013 they discussed having a threesome and booking a hotel for that purpose.”
The court heard that on July 13, 2013 the three eventually met up at a Travelodge while McWhirter’s boyfriend was on a night out, oblivious to what was going on.
The fiscal depute said McWhirter and the Clarks continued to meet socially after the event and appeared “happy” in each other’s company.
But the court heard the relationship started to “deteriorate” after McWhirter took a day to respond to a text from Mrs Clark when she was admitted to hospital.
Mrs Ward said that as a result of the friction which developed between the couple and McWhirter, Mr Clark, 35, decided to tell the young woman’s boyfriend about the threesome.
The fiscal depute added: “On October 11, the accused’s boyfriend was standing outside her place of work when Mr Clark advised him of the threesome, and showed him text messages from the accused.”
McWhirter then told her partner she had been forced into having sex, but he did not believe her.
Mrs Ward said she then went back to live with her mother, telling her when she returned that she had been raped.
It was at this point she went to the police station in Queen Street in Aberdeen to officially make the false allegations.
McWhirter, of Holly Cottage, Drywells, Banff, told officers she had been on a night out with friends and then bumped into Mr and Mrs Clark.
Mrs Ward said: “She stated that at the end of the night she had to use the bathroom so went to their hotel room and then gave police details of a forcible rape.”
The Clarks were interviewed under caution by police on October 16 but McWhirter’s friends did not back up her story.
And after a further mobile phone analysis took place in November 2013, McWhirter eventually admitted she had been a willing participant.
Sheriff Graham Buchanan deferred sentence until next month for the preparation of reports.
Mr Clark declined to comment when the Press and Journal approached him at the couple’s Aberdeen home last night.