not actually accused yet, but lots of rumours going round...

[scottie]

Evening,
My problem is slightly different I think. After our xmas works do myself and a female colleague walked another female home, she was a friend of someone who worked with us and just happened to live in the same direction as us. Everybody had had a drink, but the girl we were walking home was pretty drunk. We got her to her front door and then left, The other girls house was on the way to mine and i also left her at her front door. The problem is the first woman who doesn't even know me has been telling people i forced myself on her. She hasn't actually been to the police as far as I know. My business is being affected by this as is my head?
What should I do? Can I go to the police? How can I get her to stop telling these lies? I have a girlfriend who is standing by me, but it's really tough .
Help please.

[LS]

Hi Scottie, welcome to the site. Many would disagree with going to the police, as once that door is opened it can't be shut. In an ideal world you'd go to them, tell them what's happened, and they'd tell the woman concerned to stop making a nuisance. However, in this political climate the police are as likely to rush in and treat it as a genuine offence and start the ball rolling as per an investigation and as we've seen they aren't really interested in your innocence, more in clearing up an 'offence' with a conviction.
The advice I'd probably take is to hope she goes away. No doubt others will visit and give their help, but the police is the last resort in this day and age.
LS

[Casehardened]

If your business is being adversly affected by the lies the woman is telling you should be able to make a claim for financial compensation.

My suggestion would be to get a solicitor to send her a letter pointing out that you have a witness to say you were simply playing the Good Samaritan And that any further libellous statements regarding actions which did not occur will result in court action.

Obviously if you actually did this the adverse publicity from the court case would negate any award you would get, so you probably couldn't take it this far, but possibly just the threat may be enough to make her stop.

[Rights Fighter]

If your business is being adversly affected by the lies the woman is telling you should be able to make a claim for financial compensation.

My suggestion would be to get a solicitor to send her a letter pointing out that you have a witness to say you were simply playing the Good Samaritan And that any further libellous statements regarding actions which did not occur will result in court action.

Obviously if you actually did this the adverse publicity from the court case would negate any award you would get, so you probably couldn't take it this far, but possibly just the threat may be enough to make her stop.

This is not necessarily a good idea as a solicitor's letter could well push her into making an official complaint.

My suggestion is that you tell people of relative "high standing" in your community so that if she does decide to go to the police to make a false complaint you will have witnesses who would tell a jury what really happened.