London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 26, 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
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
×