urgently seeking heklp for BBC radio THS MORNING

[clareford]

Hi we;re looking at false allegations of rape on 5 live this morning. Is anyone free to speak to me on the phone for five minutes please? 0161 3356502 Clare Fordham

[RFLH]

I wish you'd have asked a bit sooner, I'm sure someone might have done.

[clareford]

I wish you'd have asked a bit sooner, I'm sure someone might have done.

listen again to this morning's chat about false accusations on 5 Live at www.bbc.co.uk/5 live. It was part of Victoria Derbyshire's programme - and there will be a clip on the website of our brilliant case study. If you have anything to contribute, post on here and I'll get in touch if we look at the issue again.

[RFLH]

thank you - hopefully someone will contact you.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01r54vr about 20 minutes in.

[RFLH]

Keir Starmer is an arse - no mention of the fact that the police won't prosecute false accusers when they are found to have lied in court. I think the number would be a great deal higher if he had included those cases in his figures.

[whatsgoingon?]

I'm sure the figure would also be greater if they gave the victims of false allegations the help and support (including financial) they need to be able to come to terms with their ordeal and bring charges against TA (the alligator).

NB ... could we have an alligator symbole please?

[whatsgoingon?]

listen again to this morning's chat about false accusations on 5 Live at www.bbc.co.uk/5 live. It was part of Victoria Derbyshire's programme - and there will be a clip on the website of our brilliant case study. If you have anything to contribute, post on here and I'll get in touch if we look at the issue again.

I've just listened to this. It's well put together and interesting. It's heartening to see that people have made the effort to show the true face of false accusations. The people interviewed do reflect the feelings of many on here and the interview with the barrister was very informative. If you dig deeper, there are worst case scenarios in reality. Also, false allegations aren't always clear cut.
In my son's case it was a collation of facts that the police must have thought sounded palusible enough to get a conviction - sort of getting apple pie look like spagetti bologese instead of investigating which is what they're supposed to do. I suppose they assumed as he was a 20 year old student and a long way away from home that he would be easy prey.
It seems to me this comes under the question 'Are there reasonable prospects of conviction?' when the CPS decide whether to proceed or not. These prospects are obviously enhanced or reduced depending on how capable the person charged is able to defend himself.

[Rights Fighter]

While I was in South Wales I got an email from Margaret of FASO asking me the same question - I didn't pick the message up until after the programme.

[Saffron]

Rape is a very difficult crime to prove. Genuine stranger rape is rare, and most rapes are perpetrated by someone known to the victim.
Rape is difficult to prove because it usually happens in private with no other witnesses.
A false rape allegation is difficult to prove for exactly the same reasons.
The difference is that our legal system relies on the following before preferring to proceed with charges:
1) Is it in the public interest? well, it's a rape case. This is a political hot potato, of course it's in the public interest.
2) Is there more than a 50% prospect of conviction? More often than not, it is a case of word against word. How credible are the witnesses? Don't forget that the complainant is allowed to remain completely anonymous and give evidence from behind a screen, or even via videolink....thereby automatically conferring "Victim" status upon the poor, raped individual. And only a real psycho would lie about being raped, right?

Plenty of people bleat about the woefully low conviction rate for rape. The truth is that once a case actually reaches court, the chances of conviction are about 60% (so I have been told by a solicitor friend who works for the Scotland Yard branch dealing with prosecutions for Sexual Offences).

The real reasons that so few people are convicted of making a False Allegation are quite simply as follows:
1) It is not deemed to be "in the public interest" to charge, it is expensive and there are far more pressing cases for the CPS to pursue.
3) it may deter genuine victims from coming forward.
4) It will warp the public perception of rape and might result in a lower conviction rate for genuine rapes.
5) Most sensible jurors cannot understand why someone would lie about being raped and therefore are unlikely to convict.

It's interesting to note that Mr Starmer has said that some reported rapes might be the result of a "misunderstanding" yet these are still recorded as genuine rapes! They are not recorded as False Allegations; nor are they recorded as "oops, drunken misunderstandings".
The whole system is utterly skewed and justice is largely a lottery. It makes me sick.
I'm going to have to stop writing now because I am too angry to go on.

[Rights Fighter]

Rape is a very difficult crime to prove. Genuine stranger rape is rare, and most rapes are perpetrated by someone known to the victim.
Rape is difficult to prove because it usually happens in private with no other witnesses.
A false rape allegation is difficult to prove for exactly the same reasons.
The difference is that our legal system relies on the following before preferring to proceed with charges:
1) Is it in the public interest? well, it's a rape case. This is a political hot potato, of course it's in the public interest.
2) Is there more than a 50% prospect of conviction? More often than not, it is a case of word against word. How credible are the witnesses? Don't forget that the complainant is allowed to remain completely anonymous and give evidence from behind a screen, or even via videolink....thereby automatically conferring "Victim" status upon the poor, raped individual. And only a real psycho would lie about being raped, right?

Plenty of people bleat about the woefully low conviction rate for rape. The truth is that once a case actually reaches court, the chances of conviction are about 60% (so I have been told by a solicitor friend who works for the Scotland Yard branch dealing with prosecutions for Sexual Offences).

The real reasons that so few people are convicted of making a False Allegation are quite simply as follows:
1) It is not deemed to be "in the public interest" to charge, it is expensive and there are far more pressing cases for the CPS to pursue.
3) it may deter genuine victims from coming forward.
4) It will warp the public perception of rape and might result in a lower conviction rate for genuine rapes.
5) Most sensible jurors cannot understand why someone would lie about being raped and therefore are unlikely to convict.

It's interesting to note that Mr Starmer has said that some reported rapes might be the result of a "misunderstanding" yet these are still recorded as genuine rapes! They are not recorded as False Allegations; nor are they recorded as "oops, drunken misunderstandings".
The whole system is utterly skewed and justice is largely a lottery. It makes me sick.
I'm going to have to stop writing now because I am too angry to go on.

No such criminal offence of making a false allegation so the liar, if successfully prosecuted, is convicted of PCJ which does not carry a heavy sentence for those who lie about rape and/or sexual abuse.

The punishment in this country does not fit the (moral) crime of making a false allegation of sexual abuse.