Former England rugby union star Marland Yarde contemplated taking his own life after being falsely accused of rape by an escort, a court was told. Yarde’s career was significantly impacted when Sandra Ntonya, 44, a Manchester-based sex worker, falsely claimed he had sexually assaulted a teenage girl. Ntonya - who calls herself the "Justified Hooker," stalked the winger for 14 months, repeatedly referring to him as a "rapist" in social media posts. As a result of her accusations, police arrested Yarde, 32, forcing him to leave his club, Sale Sharks.

Prosecutor Jack Troup told Manchester Crown Court that Yarde, a well-known rugby player, suffered severe mental distress due to the accusations. "He even contemplated suicide after being repeatedly branded a rapist online," Troup said. In the wake of the scandal, Yarde moved to France to continue his rugby career, leaving behind his daughter, who remained in England with her mother. His ties with various charities were also severed.

Ntonya, a mother of one, admitted to fabricating the allegations and repeatedly apologised. Despite this, she avoided prison after the judge ruled that jail time would negatively impact her young son. Instead, she received a 20-month suspended prison sentence, along with 100 hours of unpaid work, six months of mental health treatment, and 15 rehabilitation activity days. She was also issued an indefinite restraining order barring her from contacting Yarde.

Yarde had been using Ntonya’s services after a breakup, the court heard. Though he admitted visiting her house and paying for companionship, he denied any sexual involvement—a claim Ntonya disputes. Trouble began in January 2022, when a teenage girl stayed overnight at Ntonya’s residence. Yarde provided her with a hoodie to wear and put her to bed in a spare room. The following morning, before calling the police, Ntonya tipped off journalists, claiming Yarde would be arrested. She then dialed 999 and falsely reported that he had raped the girl.

Yarde was detained for 15 hours before being released at two AM the next day. Initially, he tried to resume his rugby training as normal, but soon learned that Ntonya had been attempting to sell the story of his arrest. For the next six months, Yarde remained under police investigation. He eventually left Manchester, moving in with his parents in Surrey. No charges were ever filed against him. Meanwhile, Ntonya was arrested for allegedly administering a substance, though no charges were brought. She was later arrested again when police reviewed her online posts about Yarde.

During the case, the court heard that Ntonya continued to publicly defame Yarde even after his name was cleared. One of her tweets read: "It is called rape. He did it under my roof and now he's been cleared. The case has been filed because the victim is in a bad place. Mr. Yarde remains free after rping a teenage girl." She also tagged Greater Manchester Police in her posts, along with various rugby clubs, warning them about an "unconvicted rapist" playing in their leagues. When arrested, Ntonya showed no remorse, reportedly clapping and saying, "This will be in the papers tomorrow." Sentencing her, Judge John Potter condemned Ntonya’s actions as abusive and self-serving. "You deliberately exploited another person’s suffering for personal gain," he told her. "First, by selling the story to the press, and second, by promoting your book about your work in the sex industry." He noted that Ntonya’s actions destroyed Yarde’s career in England, forcing him to relocate to France, where he is currently playing for Bayonne.