Fantasist, 27, who made up damaging false allegations that he had been raped by six innocent men leaving some of them suicidal is jailed for eight years

A fantasist who made up false and damaging claims that he had been raped by six innocent men has been jailed for eight years.

Liam Smith, 27, from Leeds, also known as James Smith and James Robertson, was convicted by a jury at Newcastle Crown Court of seven counts of acts tending or intending to pervert the course of justice between 2018 and 2021.

The court heard how his victims became “suicidal” and resorted to “self-harm” after the indignity and humiliation the lies put them through, as well as wasting around £10,000 in police time and resources.

Sentencing, Judge Penny Moreland told him: ‘A number of them say their lives were ruined by what you did. Everyone, unsurprisingly, found their social and work life diminished and everyone talks about difficulty trusting others as a result of how you betrayed their trust.

‘Several of them complain of suicidal tendencies, one self-harmed and another attempted suicide. They all talk about the indignity and humiliation of the experience you put them through.

He added: ‘Everyone talks about the agony of waiting to see what would happen after their complaints. Some of the complainants had to wait what must have seemed like a long time to hear that the case would not continue.

‘Everyone talks about the reputational damage from people who think there is no smoke without fire and that mud sticks – even when what you said about them was a lie, that others would believe it.

“It also affects genuine victims who fear they will not be believed because of what you have done.”

The judge said police had given a conservative estimate that Smith’s actions had led to £10,000 in resources being used for the investigation.

The men’s victim impact statements were read in court. One of them said: ‘These false accusations have turned my life upside down. I feel damaged by what he has done to me.’

Another added: ‘When I was arrested I felt sick, numb and totally ashamed. I had never felt suicidal until that day.’

Another man said he was made to feel like a criminal when he had done nothing wrong.

Anne Richardson, prosecuting, told the court during the trial: “The Crown’s argument is that this defendant has made several allegations of rape against a number of men, all of which were false and therefore he lied to the police and started a chain of investigations that were not only unnecessary and time-consuming, but caused excruciating suffering and anxiety to the innocent men who were accused by him.

“The Crown submits that making allegations of a sexual nature is such a serious matter, given the damage to someone’s reputation and family life, that, if those allegations are false, the repercussions and consequences are profound.”

“The Crown maintains that this is a very problematic young man, that essentially he must have real problems separating the wheat from the chaff, fact from fiction, and that, for some reason, perhaps his latent desire to attract attention, perhaps because he is a fantasist, he has caused these six men to be arrested, questioned, detained and subjected to an intrusive police examination, causing them enormous anxiety and shame, when in reality they are innocent men, who have done nothing more than engaging in legal sexual activity and activity with a fully consenting man. It’s up to you.

Sam Faulks, the defender, said Smith, of Armley Ridge Road, Leeds, has autism.

If you or someone you know may be having suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.