Please can anyone help me?

[HelenRW]

My name is Helen and I am at university training to be a journalist. I am currently preparing a piece about whether people who are accused of sexual offences should be awarded anonymity until proven guilty.

I am looking for some one who was falsely accused in the UK to talk to me about their ordeal and how it affected their life and their family and friend's lives.

Is there anyone who would be willing to talk to me? (Preferably on camera- this can be blacked out etc if you would prefer to remain anonymous).

Thank you in advance,
Helen Rowe-Willcocks

[whatsgoingon?]

The answer to the question your proposed article is posing is YES! Of course innocent people should remain anonymous!

Imaging this, Helen.... you're walking down the street minding your own business, when a little girl trips up right in front of you. There doesn't seem to be a caring adult with her so you automatically go to help her up. She's crying and confused, her knees are grazed and her dress has ridden right up. You rub her knees and straighten her dress out and start asking her where her Mum or Dad is and where she lives. Just then... a mindless busy-body with child pornography and paedophilia on the brain intervenes and insists she accompanies you and the little girl to the police station. There, she recounts a tale which is completely alien to you and a complete distortion of what actually happened, and it suddenly dawns on you that you are being accused of something beyond your comprehension. Before you know it you're officially arrested on suspicion of trying to abduct a minor and attempted sexual assault. You are ushered into a cell and ordered to remove your own clothes and put on a paper pyjama suit and cardboard slippers. Your possessions are taken away as part of the investigation and you're not told if or when these will be returned to you.

Prior to being interviewed you are asked if you want a solicitor present to which you reply 'No - I haven't done anything wrong, why should I?' So you are interviewed without a solicitor present, and dazed and confused you find yourself saying things which are twisted beyond all belief. At first you counteract the innuendos and assumptions and even end up getting sarky then quite annoyed ( at which point you are cautioned) , but in the end you feel so deflated you no longer care what's being said you just want it to end. A doctor comes along, tells you to strip off pokes around, takes your DNA, and blood sample.

10 or so hours later, in a state of absolute shock , you're told that you have been granted bail pending investigations and will have to report to the police station in 6 weeks. You are let out in the street wearing only the pyjama suit and slippers, it's eleven o'clock on a cold November night - you have no money on you, no telephone as this was retained by the police officer and you have to walk home some distance away. You feel totally deflated as though you yourself have been victim of an aggression.

You being a totally normal person whose never been in trouble with the police or anyone else , and on the contrary, tries to help people when you can ,wake up the next morning and think 'That was some night-mare!'. Then you spot the pyjama suit hanging where you took it off and the police station documents with your name on them in your handbag and you realise something very unwholesome and distressing is happening and you don't understand any of it.
This is the very beginning of your ordeal... there's a lot more and a lot worst to come.

Crikey! You're so wrapped up in trying to figure out what it's all about that you're going to be late for work! So you run out, putting your coat on as you go through the door, you hardly hear your name being called and a couple of flash-lights, then off you go to work.
A couple of days later.... you pick up the local paper to read on the train to work and there you are! Not only have they got you at your very worst but your name's there, the road where you live and you're being made out to be a monster from the worst horror film. Your boss calls you in, and there you are again, only now you're sacked. As you go home to your lovely cosy flat you've worked so hard to make your own, you realise that unless you can find another job , you're going to have to move out.

But this is STILL the very beginning.... it's going to be at least a year before you go to court to fight for your life and there'll be many more unpleasant times and adventures before then! And as if the horrendous accusations weren't bad enough, what you don't yet realise is that quick buck someone from the papers was making on the back of your misfortunes is going to play you and your loved ones some very nasty turns indeed, possibly for a very long time to come...

[myhome]

WGO - extremely well put.....

Helen - you are asking someone to relive exactly what WGO has described - or similar version of it. This will bring back some extremely traumatic and upsetting memories - like taking a big scab off an open sore that is maybe just beginning to heal - letting all the pus and suppuration out for you to write about for some uni course and then what? What support and counselling have you put in place for anyone who would talk to you. How will you comfort them when they break down in front of you?

And what happens when you've finished with them - do you expect them just to replace the scab, shut those memories away and carry on as though they'd never relived it???? That just isn't possible and if you had any understanding whatsoever of Mental health you would realise this. If you read posts on here of people who have had positive outcomes from their ordeal - NFA, NG or No Crime, you will see that not one of them has gone, "Yipee skippy - now I've got my life back and I'm back to normal.." Most have said they should be euphoric and celebrating it's all over, but they can't because the pure hell, indignity, injustice and fear they have been through for anything up to the last 3 years has left such emotional scars, they cannot celebrate because it should never have happened in the first place. many have been taken away from their family and children and even if they got NFA or other, social services then do their own investigation, don't allow them to see their children still - and then there is that battle to fight - one member on here took 18 months after he was cleared to get the right to see his son - even though in the eyes of the law, he was discharged from the court.

This is very thin ice you're treading here asking someone to do this for you. You can find out the information you want by reading threads and posts on here. You don't need to put someone through the agonies you're asking them to....

FWIW - I am almost a year in to the FA against me - there isn't a day in that time when it's been out of my mind - it is an unbelievable hell - waiting for plod/CPS to pretend to investigate and always wondering whether this time next year I'll be in prison - we who are FA'd live with that thought day in day out and I'm blowed if I'm going to spill my heart to you when you have absolutely no idea whatsoever what it is like...if it should ever happen to you, then I'm happy to compare notes - and don't think it won't because you're a woman - I'm a woman and it happened to me...

[HelenRW]

Thank you both for your replies.

The piece I am trying to do is to raise awareness of the issues faces for those falsely accused not just throughout the trial but throughout their lives. False accusations affect not just the person but their friends and families and they are seen as damaged goods even when proven not guilty. It isn't fair.

I am not doing this piece to upset people I merely want to raise awareness. There are a lot of cases where people have wanted to get there stories heard. Please never suggest I as not thinking of people's feelings.

Best wishes
Helen

[whatsgoingon?]

You seem to have a good understanding of the subject and I'm sure your heart is in the right place. It's just such a traumatic experience, it really needs to be handled sensitively and sensibly. People have spoken out in the past and I tend to think it's a good thing if it's handled correctly. If someone does come along to speak to you, I hope you'll ensure that they can't be identified if they don't want to be and their wishes are respected.

[Rights Fighter]

Maybe you could tell us more about yourself Helen. Why have you chosen this particular subject? What information have you gathered so far? Who have you spoken with?

Why does this have to be on film given you are a university student? Surely an actor could read out a statement /play the part of anybody who contacts you?

Here's my view for what it's worth:

You might remember that David Cameron in his pre-election promises said that there would be anonymity for those accused of rape until after conviction. As we all well know, he did a complete u-turn on that (lied through his teeth) and now people are sometimes named just before and after arrest, let alone conviction. If somebody is found not guilty at trial and is named, that doesn't stop the dimwitted no-smoke brigade from launching viglante attacks on the falsely accused and their families.

[HelenRW]

Well my name is Helen, I am a 21 year old journalism Masters student.

The reason I chose this topic is solely down the one case.
The Michael Le Vell case really opened my eyes to the horrors that people accused can go through. Not just themselves but the families and friends. It shocked me so much that we let this happen I started researching other cases and seeing the torment people have for their whole lives after being falsely accused. As part of my course i was asked to create a piece to do with ethics in journalism and it seemed the perfect opportunity to look even further into this.

I was appalled to learn that people accused used to have anonymity and it was then changed in the law in the 80s. I want to raise awareness to the pain it can cause.

To make it a fair piece I have to talk to someone who disagrees with the idea. I am talking to a lady from the group Women Against Rape who are strongly against giving anonymity (I'm not going to lie-I'm petrified!)

As for having an actor- it's not an idea I had thought of but I thank you for it because it's defiantly something I would be willing to do. I had only thought of blacking the person out and making them a silhouette so thank you for that

Is there anything else you would like to know?
Helen

[Rights Fighter]

Just tried to PM but can only publicly PM you

[myhome]

ok - I've calmed down a bit now - you seem genuine and have your heart in the right place!!! DO you want to talk to people who have been through the whole system - ie arrested charged courts not guilty etc or any one who has been fa'd? If it's the latter - I'll talk to you...when you've been here a bit longer you can pm me which'll be better....

[HelenRW]

Just tried to PM but can only publicly PM you

If you would like to get in touch please email me on:
hrowewillcocks@btopenworld.com

Thanks
Helen

[HelenRW]

ok - I've calmed down a bit now - you seem genuine and have your heart in the right place!!! DO you want to talk to people who have been through the whole system - ie arrested charged courts not guilty etc or any one who has been fa'd? If it's the latter - I'll talk to you...when you've been here a bit longer you can pm me which'll be better....

I really appreicate that, thank you.
If you would be interested talking, or even just talking like this rather than being filmed or something I would be interested in any views.
Please would you like to email me on hrowewillcocks@btopenworld.com

Thanks,
Helen

[myhome]

I really appreicate that, thank you.
If you would be interested talking, or even just talking like this rather than being filmed or something I would be interested in any views.
Please would you like to email me on hrowewillcocks@btopenworld.com

Thanks,
Helen

will do tomorrow....

[Izzy]

If somebody is found not guilty at trial and is named, that doesn't stop the dimwitted no-smoke brigade from launching viglante attacks on the falsely accused and their families.

Some of the posts on twitter when he was found not guilty were astounding for the wrong reason.


Look into what happened to Bijan Ebrahimi - it's the most sickening thing ever.

They say naming the accused is to encourage other people to come forward but in the case of Stuart Hall he is facing 16 new charges after conviction

Also the naming of the accused in quite a few cases can give away the identity of the complainant - I wonder how many people that puts off reporting..

[whatsgoingon?]

I've only just found out about Bijan Ebrahimi (following your post). What is particularly horrendous is how people looked but did nothing. I suppose they thought they had 'carte blanche' as the police were obviously totally complacent. There was someone brutally killed last years as well. The CPS and press have encouraged this lynch-mob/ there's a paedophile in every other house attitude - in the end it means a break-down of the justice system and society as we know it.

[myhome]

Hi Helen - sent you and email - hope it arrived....MH