Courts / Sligo / Report
'Malicious': woman made false sex assault allegation against prison officer
Summary
A 29-year-old woman from Coolaney, Sligo, has been sentenced to 21 months in prison after pleading guilty to making a false criminal complaint at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Nicole Chambers alleged that a male prison officer had sexually assaulted her in a hospital cubicle whilst escorting her for medical treatment in August 2020. Hospital CCTV footage, corroborated by the officer's female colleague and medical staff, established that the officer never entered the cubicle and remained outside in accordance with protocol. When confronted with the footage, Chambers initially maintained her account before later retracting the allegation and apologising to the officer and prison service. Judge Martin Nolan described the allegation as malicious and self-serving, noting it had caused profound harm to the victim and could have resulted in a trial absent the camera evidence. The judge acknowledged Chambers' complex psychiatric history and functional neurological disorder but found she understood the distinction between right and wrong. She has 34 previous convictions, including an earlier custodial sentence for making false reports.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: 'Malicious': woman made false sex assault allegation against prison officer. Charges or matters: making a false criminal complaint on August 15, 2020. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- August 15, 2020 Adjournment
- August 2020 Incident
- November 2020 Other
- 2025-12-11 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: making a false criminal complaint on August 15, 2020 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: He noted Chambers had a background of making false allegations and had served a custodial sentence, but it appeared the punitive nature of that had not addressed her issues. Thankfully the footage proved that he had done no wrong," Judge Nolan continued, before he jailed Chambers for 21 months.; After hearing evidence in the case last month, Judge Martin Nolan had adjourned the case overnight to consider his sentence.
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