A former BBC journalist has been charged with wasting police time over claims he made earlier this year that he had killed a former lover who was dying from Aids.
In a BBC report in February, broadcaster and gay rights campaigner Ray Gosling said he had smothered an ex-boyfriend with a pillow in hospital to honour a pact they had made in case the pain got too severe.
He was subsequently arrested by Nottinghamshire police on suspicion of murder.
"He was interviewed several times by the police and detectives conducted an extensive investigation into the allegation," said Helen Allen, senior lawyer with the Crown Prosecution Service's Special Crime Division.
"The police established that there was sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of proving that Mr Gosling's confession was false and asked the CPS to consider whether he should be prosecuted for wasting police time, given the amount of work they had to carry out to establish what had happened."
Ms Allen said she had decided Mr Gosling should face charges and he has been served with a summons to appear before Nottingham magistrates on September 14th.
Mr Gosling said he understood the police had a job to do. "Sorry it's come to this, I didn't intend it to all come to this," he told reporters. "I'm sorry it's caused all this fuss."