5 live: Rape victim sent to prison for protecting attacker

A mother of two has said she was sent to jail for withdrawing an allegation that her husband had raped her.

She was imprisoned not because her allegation was false, but because her retraction was false.

Sarah, not her real name, told Victoria Derbyshire on 5 live that she withdrew her prosecution under pressure from her attacker's family.

She said that her husband told her: "If you ring the police and tell the police that you made it up, everything will go away. It will stop."

Sarah also stated her that sister-in-law encouraging her not to press charges for the sake of the children, saying: "You won't go to prison because you're a single parent."

The names of other people in this story have also been changed to protect the identities of those involved.

The Victoria Derbyshire programme is broadcast Monday - Friday, 10:00 - 12:00 on BBC Radio 5 live.

You can hear more highlights by visiting the Best Bits section on the 5 live website.