Prisoner Robert Whitfield learns fate after accusing prison guard of rape

An Illawarra man who falsely cried rape against a prison guard has copped his punishment for the brazen lie and other serious crimes.

Robert Whitfield falsely accused a prison officer at the Mid North Coast Correctional Centre of raping him.

A Warrawong man who made up a slanderous tale accusing a prison guard of raping him in an effort to secure bail has been sentenced for the audacious act and two other unrelated crimes.

Robert Whitfield, 22, appeared in Wollongong Local Court via video link on Friday where he copped a prison sentence of 16 months for making a false accusation, aggravated taking and driving of a car, resisting arrest, negligent driving, not giving particulars to the other driver and driving while never licensed.

The sentence was backdated to January, 2022, and has a non-parole period of eight months, but despite that term being expired Whitfield will remain in custody on remand as he awaits hearing for a series of other charges laid earlier this year.

Court documents stated Whitfield spoke to investigators at Kempsey District Hospital on April 26, 2021, after he had made a complaint to the head of the Mid North Coast Correctional Centre five days earlier.

Whitfield, who was serving a sentence of three years and four months at MNCCC at the time, told investigators he was dragged from a phone booth to his cell by two officers accusing him of being in possession of drugs.

When in his cell, Whitfield said they pushed him onto the bed, told him to pull his pants down and spread his buttocks before one of them while one of them held him and the other inserted his finger into his anus.

However, on further questioning, details became muddled as to how he was being held and whether the officer had touched his buttocks or stuck his finger into his anus.

Robert Whitfield repeatidly changed his story throughout the investigation, the court heard. Picture: Facebook

The documents indicated Whitfield told investigators the phony incident didn‘t injure him or cause him any pain, but it made him “upset”.

Whitfield also alleged the officers‘ body-worn cameras were only turned on after the fake assault.

He went on to say he was locked in the cell where he used the duress button for 15 to 20 minutes before another male officer came to his door and told him not to complain otherwise he would be locked in for an extended period of time.

A social worker spoke to Whitfield about his allegations, but during the conversation he “changed specific details of his position and a number of items and what the officers did”.

The social worker went on to tell police they believed it was a false allegation because “he was looking for a means to assist him in securing bail”.

Robert Whitfield learnt his sentence in Wollongong Local Court on Friday.

The accused officer said in an inquiry conducted in June, 2021, Whitfield was “causing trouble” near the phones and was taken back to his cell in handcuffs.

The officer stated Whitfield was “abusive”, but strenuously denied the allegations which made him ”extremely upset”.

The court documents indicated the officer “suffered considerable anxiety over the matter” where he was ”subject to an inquiry where false allegations were made against his character”.

Whitfield was also sentenced for two other matters including one stemming back to December, 2020, when he crashed a Mitsubishi Lancer into a parked Isuzu D-Max with two people inside before fleeing from the scene.

The other crimes occurred in December, 2021, when Whitfield and another man hijacked a Koonawarra woman‘s car before leaving it outside an Avondale address with the keys on the driver’s seat.

Whitfield will next face Wollongong Local Court in January for a hearing after pleading not guilty to a set of serious outstanding charges dating back to 2020.

The charges include entering a building or land to commit an indictable offence, being armed with the intent to commit an indictable offence, common assault and larceny.