London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Jul 06, 2025

UK: Prison officer jailed for lying about being raped by Asian taxi driver

A former prison officer is has been locked up for falsely accusing an Asian taxi driver of raping her.
Victoria Hoynes nearly destroying the reputations of two innocent cabbies and wasted many hours of police time while her allegations were investigated over a busy Bank Holiday weekend. It became clear her story was unfounded when dash-cam footage from one of the drivers’ cars was reviewed by officers.

It was then that she was interviewed not as a potential victim, but as a suspect. As well as working with sex offenders at HMP Frankland, County Durham, Hoynes was also an aspiring model.

She took part in Durham’s Next Top Model in 2013 and had entered the Miss Newcastle beauty pageant the following year. Hoynes stuck to her story when interviewed and said she wouldn’t risk her job and ‘lifestyle’ by lying about what had happened.

But investigating officers say it was only when the dash-cam footage was shown to her that she changed her account.

Police received a call at 3.49am on May 26 last year from Hoynes’ mother, who told them she had come back from a night out in a distressed state, claiming she had been raped by an Asian taxi driver outside Lanchester Road Hospital, on the A691, near Durham.

The prison officer said she took a taxi from the city and claimed the driver, an Asian man in his 40s, stopped the car and carried out his attack.

She alleged he assaulted her on the front passenger seat before pushing her out of the car into the grounds of the hospital. Hoynes, 27, said she contacted a friend who picked her up and noticed she had twigs in her hair and scratches on her clothing.

Shaun Dodds, prosecuting, said in her initial interview she changed her description of the driver to being in his 20s, with spiked, gelled hair.

After extensive inquiries a driver on duty that night was arrested and denied the offence, stating he had taken a fare to Crook, County Durham at about that time.

The cabbie was discounted as a suspect and the focus turned to a second driver who, it emerged, had dropped Hoynes, at the hospital.

He said he drove straight home afterwards and footage from his dash-cam showed his passenger got out unaided and there was no contact between the pair.

Both suspected drivers spoke of the effect the accusations had on their livelihoods and family life, while the case’s lead investigator said Hoynes’ actions may deter future rape victims from coming forward.

Hoynes, from Witton Gilbert, County Durham admitted intending to pervert the course of justice.

Adam Birkby, defending, said she now accepts full responsibility and wants to make ‘sincere apologies’ to both implicated drivers and to the police.

He pointed to a psychiatric report which stated that her false allegations may have been an unconscious result of a depressive illness from which she suffered since breaking up with a partner in 2018.

Mr Birkby added: ‘Ultimately, it’s been a tragedy for all concerned, particularly the two men.’

Jailing her for 20-months at Durham Crown Court, Judge James Adkin said much effort went in to proving her ‘wicked complaint’ was, ‘a complete fabrication’ which took its toll on both suspected men and on policing resources.

He added: ‘This type of offence can affect the prospects at trial of cases where it may be finely balanced as to whether women get the justice they deserve.

‘I find it difficult to see how distress about a break-up would cause you to make such a wicked complaint against someone totally innocent.’
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
×