Do Compensation Schemes Fuel False Rape Allegations?

[val lavender]

This is the first time that I have started a new topic, so I apologise in advance for any errors or breaches in protocol.

To my mind the known facts are as follows:

There is no doubt that false rape allegations exist though the exact percentage of total allegations is not known.

A number of countries have recently dropped financial compensation to rape victims, and instead are offering other forms of support. This has resulted in a decrease in the number of rapes being reported.

I would appreciate the thoughts of members on this phenomenon

Regards

Val

[mol12]

look at the insurance company's,no win no fee, i think this says it all!!

[mol12]

have taken haap advice (raj) thank you it has taken some of the presure off
harry

[webmoo]

Originally posted by val lavender@24th January 2005 - 09:39 PM
This is the first time that I have started a new topic, so I apologise in advance for any errors or breaches in protocol.

Quoted post

Hi Val,

No "breaches of protocol" here - no worries!

You are quite entitled to start topics on (well, almost) anything you wish. Also, just to bring it to your attention, the forum has the ability to post a voting poll - you can get people to vote on what they think. You can go for a simple yes/no, or anything more complex - you can have up to ten options! Just PM me if you would like this and I'll set it up for you.

Best wishes, and thanks for sharing,

Webmaster

[webmoo]

Vote option added, and a bit of a bump for this topic so more people will see it and vote on it. Hopefully...

[diana_holbourn]

I don't suppose anyone who doesn't have informed knowledge of the contrast in the rape allegation statistics before and after the policy change in other countries and all the possible reasons for them is really qualified to make a decision as to whether they think the number of rape allegations would go down substantially if the system of compensation here was replaced with the offer of counselling or something. It's certainly something that should be investigated. Perhaps an experiment should be done here for a few years to find out what would happen.

[val lavender]

Hi all

I am intrigued to see that there have been five replies to the topic I started, but given that there have only been four votes out of a hundrend and sixty od views I am a little disappointed.
Either the voting system is too complex or there is a considerable degree of apathy with regard to the subject matter.

Oh well, better luck next time hopefully.

Regards

Val

[diana_holbourn]

There is an alternative explanation: that people just don't know.

[val lavender]

Hi Di

Yes, that could be the case but I am suprised that more people do not have an opinion one way or the other.

In a similar vein, I made an interesting discovery yesterday. Whilst discussing general matters with the CICA it emerged that they have no mechanism or system in place to monitor the results of appeals.

Given that rape is an absolute situation, ie , either it was rape or it wasnt, this raises the following dilemma. If a woman claims she was raped and makes an application to the CICA, if her assailant is found guilty, she will be paid compensation. If he is subsquently succesful in an appeal, then no crime has taken place and she should, in theory, be made to pay back the money she has recieved.

I would be interested to know other members views on this situation.

Regards


Val

[Rob]

Hello Val, Mol12, and everyone else that knows me from the PAFAA forum.

Members on the PAFAA know what i'm going through.

My Vote was a YES, and hear is why.

In countrys that have changed the law on compensation to historical abuse accusers, the amount of new cases dropped by up to an alarming 90%.

At the moment i am doing research in to this for my dear friend Rights Fighter.
The main thing i am looking for is statistics on how much the number of new cases dropped when the laws where changed.

Any information i find will be used in future lobbying.

Rob

[Rights Fighter]

In fact, where an appeal is successful and the false accuser has made money out of his/her false allegations - they get to keep it at the moment. I haven't heard of this situation changing either. What makes matters worse is that somebody being released from prison on appeal, where not only has the conviction proved to be unsafe, the accuser is proven to have lied, that person is very unlikely to be able to get any recompense for being falsely accused, wrongly convicted and wrongly imprisoned. If the appellant is lucky enough to receive compensation they then have to pay 25% back to the Prison Service for "board and lodging". An appeal against this ruling was attempted by Mike O'Brien but failed.

So therefore the false accuser wins whichever way the appeal goes and the appellant loses out anyway. Most of the time, in sex cases, the appellant has already lost his family, home, job, reputation and car. He's gone to prison, had his food contaminated, possibly been abused while in prison, come out to a new world if he's been inside for years, no "half way house" to allow him to adjust to this fast moving society and no money to compensate.

The excuse the Home Office give for non payment of compensation for "our guys" who are wrongly convicted is that it has to be a public authority who was at fault. I have a friend whose case was not investigated properly by the local police and in fact they hid evidence ("Not to be Dosclosed to Defence") which would have brought the jury to a different verdict. The police are a public authority. He's taking that case to the High courts in the midlands later this year.

RF

[val lavender]

Hi RF

I spoke with Alison Rothwell, the CICA press officer, at some length on this subject a few weks ago in relation to one specific incident. In this case a man was found guilty of rape initially and was subsequently exonerated on appeal.

This leads to an interesting situation, in the eyes of the appeal panel no crime was committed and no compensation due to the accuser. The CICA's stance in this type of situation is that they would "try" to recover any monies paid out in compensation;but, they refuse to explain their sucess rate or discuss the matter in any more detail over the phone.

Perhaps this area should be the subject of another Broadcaster group enquiery in an attempt to deduce what level of care they take of public funds?

It is also interesting to note that the CICA have a fraud section, according to some sources, but no-ne seems to be able to explain their remit. Again, as this is a public department it would seem reasonable that their books, policies and structure be subject to public scrutiny.

If anyone fancies putting that fact to the chief executive, his name is Howard Webber and he can be contacted via 0207 842 6800


Regards


Val

[maria]

hi val does he have an email address or posting address? i was told that before anyone got paid out, that there case was put before a board and decided how much they should have and when , like in my son's case the judge didnt even want to punish him, but because he took a plea bargain he had no choice even tho they all knew my son was innocent and she had lied through her teeth, we have been told she will still keep the money this infuriates me as my son lost his job took an overdose and went thru hell had his name and photo put all over the paper and destroyed his life also put on the offenders list, basically they came out of court laughing and i do mean laughing as if they had just seen a comedy film i truely feel anyone that falsley accuses should take the same punisment as what the accuse would have got if been found guilty, in my opinion this would stop almost all of these false accusations, i'm in favour of writing to this women let me know ta x

[val lavender]

Hi Maria

the postal address for the CICA is Tay House, 300 Bath St, Glasgow, G2 4LN, their freephone number is 0800 358 3601 and they have a website at www.cica.gov.uk.

Regards


Val

[maria]

thanks for that val x