Woman lied to police that she had been kidnapped at knifepoint and sexually assaulted

Cheyenne Kenmuir, of Bateman Street, Cambridge, texted her friend on November 29, 2017 and asked her to call the police claiming she had been kidnapped and taken to the Emperor Pub in Cambridge.

Kenmuir told her friend that two men, one armed with a six-inch knife, had taken her to the pub against her will and forced her to drink alcohol and take both Class A and B drugs.

When officers arrived at the scene Kenmuir (21) also claimed one of the men had sexually assaulted her. A man was arrested and spent 14 hours in custody before being released under investigation.

When Kenmuir was interviewed by officers about the alleged kidnapping, she told them she had been walking home at 11pm after being denied entry to a nightclub for having no ID.

She claimed she was approached on Hills Road by a man who told her “you’re coming for a drink”, before dragging her to the other side of the road – with the help of the second man - and into the rear entrance to the pub.

Once inside the pub, Kenmuir claimed she was forced to take drugs and drink alcohol. She told officers one of the men tried to get her to dance with him before sexually assaulting her. She then texted her friend asking her to call the police.

In police interview after his arrest on suspicion of sexual assault, the man said he was just being friendly with Kenmuir and that she had visited the pub of her own accord after he asked her if she fancied a drink.

He told officers that while he was talking to Kenmuir in the pub she was constantly on her phone. When he asked her if she was OK and who she was texting, she replied that she was fine and it was “no one important”.

CCTV was later obtained from the pub which clearly showed Kenmuir had lied.

The footage showed her walking to the pub of her own free will with the man and also highlighted she had numerous chances to call for help or escape.

Kenmuir was left alone for the majority of her time in the venue and the doors to the pub were open at all times. The CCTV also captured her drinking of her own accord.

A few days after the incident, Kenmuir posted an online review about the Emperor pub with details of her fabricated story.

She also said “special investigators” had to attend the incident and claimed the pub was being investigated for a “drug cartel” – claims which were all false.

When she was later interviewed about making false allegations and shown the CCTV which contradicted her story, Kenmuir still maintained her version of events.

She did, however, admit writing the online review and told officers she was upset and had “made things up” out of anger.

DC Terry Bandoo, who investigated, said: “Kenmuir’s claims led to a complete waste of police time at a period when demand for our services had never been higher.

“She caused unnecessary distress for an entirely innocent man who we arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting her and spent a night in a police cell for doing absolutely nothing wrong.

“Her story was completely false and the fact she maintained this in interview, despite CCTV that completely contradicted her claims, is beyond belief. I hope this case demonstrates how seriously we take cases where people have perverted the course of justice, and I hope it serves as a deterrent for others considering doing the same.”

One month before her trial was due to take place, Kenmuir eventually pleaded guilty to charges of perverting the course of justice and sending a letter or article conveying false information.

She was sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court last Thursday where she was handed a total of 15 months in prison.

Sentencing Kenmuir, Judge Stuart Bridge said despite her remorse she showed a degree of manipulation that was “somewhat striking”.