A woman who accused a neighbour of stabbing her in the stomach later confessed that she had done it to herself.
Michele Smith caused her innocent neighbour to be taken into police custody for around four hours.
The 57-year-old’s false allegations wasted 43 hours of police time as 13 officers were tied up responding to her lie on April 6 2021.
It led to her and her neighbour’s flats on Aberdeen’s Tay Road being locked down while a huge police presence investigated the scenes.
But when officers later spoke to Smith in hospital, where she was treated for the stomach wound, she admitted she’d stabbed herself, Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told.
Neighbour spent ‘approximately four hours in custody’
Fiscal depute Stephanie Cardow said: “The accused contacted police and said she had been stabbed by her neighbour.
“Police attended and found her in her home with a small stab wound to her lower abdomen.
“She stated that she had been stabbed and that (the neighbour) was responsible.
“As a result, other units were deployed, protocol initiated and a locus detachment was put in place at both flats.
“She was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and her neighbour was arrested and taken to the police station where he spent approximately four hours in custody.”
However, he was soon proven to be innocent when officers spoke to Smith in the hospital and she admitted that the wound was self-inflicted.
Lie tied up 13 officers and wasted 43 hours of time
“Due to this admission, she was taken to Royal Cornhill Hospital for a mental health assessment where she was deemed fit to be released.”
A total of 13 police officers were deployed to the investigation, wasting 43 hours of police time, the court heard.
Smith pled guilty to a charge of wasting police time.
Defence agent David Sutherland said his client had “no recollection” of the incident due to the state of her mental health at the time.
“She feels regret, shame and remorse. She has been on an order from last month and there’s been a really positive response to that,” Mr Sutherland said.
Previously targeted other neighbour
Smith – who appeared in court with a walking frame – was handed a supervision order in court last month after she brandished a baseball bat at another one of her neighbours on Tay Road, Aberdeen.
At the last hearing, a sheriff had said that given Smith’s “physical and mental difficulties”, the risks of her reoffending were “less than they might otherwise have been”.
Dealing with the latest offence, Sheriff Sean Lynch told the court he was “concerned about the impact” the stabbing accusation had on her wrongly-accused victim.
He handed Smith, now of Birkhill Parade, Mastrick, a one-year supervision order.
For all the latest court cases in Aberdeen as well as crime and breaking incidents, join our Facebook group.
Baseball bat-wielding woman attacked neighbour in Aberdeen house
