Former SHU Student Accused Of Making Up Rape Story Denied Probation Program

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- A judge has denied an application for accelerated rehabilitation filed by a former Sacred Heart University student who is charged with making false rape accusations against two other students, according to the Connecticut Post.

Nikki Yovino
Photo Credit: *Bridgeport Police Department*

Casey Donahue

10/27/2017 2:30 p.m.

Nikki Yovino, 19, of South Setauket, N.Y. is facing charges for filing a false report and tampering with evidence, dating back from an incident last October where police said she reported that she had been raped by SHU football players.

Police said the allegations turned out to be false, and that she had had consensual sex with the two students. She had made up the sexual assault story because she did not want to lose another student as a friend and potential boyfriend, according to police.

The Connecticut Post reported that Yovino had applied for accelerated rehabilitation, a program which would have let her avoid pleading guilty and instead serve two years of probation, after which her charges would have been dismissed.

Superior Court Judge Maureen Dennis denied her application on Friday, saying that this type of false report is harmful to actual victims of sexual assault, the Connecticut Post reported. She also cited the damage done to the lives of the two football players she accused, both of whom have withdrawn from SHU, according to the Connecticut Post.

Yovino's case was continued until Nov. 14, according to the Connecticut Post.

Click here to read the Connecticut Post story.

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