Historic Accusation of Child Abuse and attempted Rape

[Ma'at]

Hi All

I am becoming more and more stunned by the number of people who seem to go through what we are!
the police (4 of them) knocked on our door at 8am last Oct. My husband had gone to work, they asked me questions to assertain that they had the right man but of course wouldnt tell me why. My husband worried as to why they wanted to speak to him and wanting to help went to the police station that afternoon at 2pm. he was arrested, refused solicitor (because he felt he had no need for one) and bailed to appear back at the police station xmas week.
He had been married previously, from the day he met his wife to the day he left was 2.5yrs. The accuser was 11 when he left and is now 24. she has accused him of continual sexual touching and 1 account of attempted rape. We have absolutely no idea why after all this time she has decided to do this. We have seen the interviews and it seems she tells this story when she has had an argument with someone. the last time she did she told her mother who immediately phoned the police. The marriage and divorce were terrible and my husband was very unhappy. Could they have concocted this together? is the girl just saying this to get attention?
He was charged in Dec and appeared in Court to plead Not Guilty in Jan. We now have to go to crown court in May with an expected trail date of Nov:confused. He is completely innocent, we are devistated, our lives are falling apart and we are both very very afraid. there is NO evidence, no witnesses, even her mother said she had no idea. we have engaged a solicitor and a QC, we are selling our house to pay for it - how can this happen in this country in this day and age? what can we do to fight this?
I now know there are so many other people going through what we are and knowing that is a comfort (although I wouldnt wish this on anyone!) and I hope we can glean some information and support which may help us?

Ma'at

[goldfish]

Hi Ma'at

Sorry you are going through this ordeal, it is so difficult. try to stay strong, you will get advice and support here from others who have been through similar situations. keep posting.

[Ma'at]

Thank you goldfish, right now I feel like I am losing my mind, closely followed by my life! and then there is the guilt becuase i seem to be concentrating on how I feel - what about my poor husband..... and on it goes! support and help I am sure will help.

[Verity]

Near Carbon Copy

Hi Ma'at,

My hubby Mark and I went through the same as you.

Mark had the marriage from hell, had to leave, three years later I got a knock on my door from a PCSO who wanted to know where Mark was but wouldn't say why.
However I got it out of him!!!

Mark's eldest son accused him of a one off act of buggery lasting 15 minutes, (no injuries apparently didn't scream blah blah blah- oh perleeze!)

This tale had been concocted by Mark's ex. Motive: revenge and monetary compensation for f facricated 'crime' that never occurred and as we proved beyond doubt had no basis in fact or reality.

Mark was put on trial for this fictitious 'crime' and was found not guilty.

The damage inflicted upon us is unconscionable and far reaching mentally, emotionally and physically.

We can so empathise with the kafkaesque nightmare you are all going through.

Anger is the only thing that kept me going and the sure knowledge that Mark was utterly innocent and that his ex and his scroat of a manipulated son were liars of the lowest order.

I'm sure you feel the incandescent rage that I felt and to a greater degree still do feel.
For this and much more the police and all involved in the malicious prosecution of Mark and the devastation they caused will be held to account and punished, no matter how long it takes.

We have to do this for closure, restorative justice and to send the massage loud and clear to false accusers, corrupt police officers, CPS and prosecutors that we have had enough, we absolutely do not deserve this and we will challenge this abomination.

We will all give you and yours all the support and help we can.
Here you will find a safe haven from the storm you are fighting.

[Ma'at]

Hi Verity
you are right that certainly does sound very similar and from what you have said I know you must have gone through as much trauma as us.
How did you get your not guilty verdict? our solicitor has told us that 75% of the jury will believe he is guilty before the trail even starts!
What did your counsel do to show they were lying? My husband in particular feels that the mother is guiding this and although I wouldnt doubt she would love revenge against him for leaving and of course the monetary value of this soet of accusiation is very tempting but how could they do it? and how can we fight them? we are very much hoping that we will get a not guilty verdict but then are we able to prosecute them for what they have done, the money it will have cost and the pain we have suffered? from what i have read, we will not have than option. we are stuffed what ever happens to us.
thank you for your support, as you will know i am sure, it really does help.

[Casehardened]

Hi Ma’at,

As your husband has been charged, you already are some way through the process in that he can’t influence the OIC and CPS into a NFA, and so you must now concentrate on a credible defence.

I guess you knew that you could have had legal aid to cover the cost of a solicitor and barrister and decided rather to select people you had absolute confidence in (I believe that if he is found Not Guilty he can recover his costs, but I’m not sure if this is now only up to the legal aid limit)

Anyhow, hopefully you have engaged professionals in the field of false accusations and doubtless they will advise you on the best defence. However, you and he can collate information to give them some ammunition to work with as you know the accuser and her family better than them.

As you and Verity have already mentioned motive is key to this, the jury will inevitably be pre-disposed towards the accuser so you must give them a reason for her to make this accusation after 13 years. Is she in financial trouble or is she wanting to put a deposit down on a house; the compensation she could get from CICA is substantial, up to £30K. Is she an attention seeker or tries to deflect her own problems? Could she be trying to punish your husband for leaving her and her mother.

If you can work out why she should have made the accusation now, after all this time, it would be some help in establishing the motive. Does she or any mutual acquaintances have facebook pages which you could view; others have found clues in what the girls write on these.

Whatever else, stay strong!

[Verity]

Ma'at,

Do you live in the south east of the country?

Just say yes or no.

When you have done 10 posts I will private message you and tell you how we survived and what we did to get this sorted.

[Ma'at]

south west Verity.

[Ma'at]

Hi casehardened

thank you so much for your response, it helps you know.
Yes we do know we could have had legal aid but I have no faith in that system, maybe there are people out there who can tell me otherwise but my limited knowledge and what i see on tv gave me no faith whatso ever in the legal aid side of court cases. we decided that as our lives depend on this so much (my husband and I are self employed and without him there is no company, no income, no future) we needed to 'invest' in what one would hope is a good legal team. we have been quoted a mimimum of 75k which is why we are selling our house. We have worked so hard to achieve what we have, we work constantly and give it our all but as i said with out my husband all of that is nothing.
the problem with establishing a motive is that we dont even know this girl - my husband has had no contact with her in all that time. it can only be financial unless she really is that messed up that she crys 'Abusee' when ever she is on the defensive and needs the sympathy of a 'victim'.
We will try to do our very best to secure a not guuilty verdict, if not we will be bankrupt!
sorry for being so pathetically down but at this point in time I dont see any light at the end of the tunnel.
Ma'at

[Rights Fighter]

Ma'at

You should not have to pay £75K to defend this case. I have emailed you.

[Casehardened]

the problem with establishing a motive is that we dont even know this girl - my husband has had no contact with her in all that time. it can only be financial unless she really is that messed up that she crys 'Abusee' when ever she is on the defensive and needs the sympathy of a 'victim'.

Motive is the difficulty, in a way it would be easier to establish if your husband was still involved with his ex-family.

I am frequently accused of pre-judging and jumping to conclusions, so must stress that the following is just a theory, based on what you wrote in your OP.

He had been married previously, from the day he met his wife to the day he left was 2.5yrs. The accuser was 11 when he left and is now 24. she has accused him of continual sexual touching and 1 account of attempted rape.

The accuser was just over 8yrs old when he met his ex so perhaps about 9 when they got married, so obviously not his biological daughter. She would be old enough for reasoned, but perhaps not rational, thoughts. Did your husband whisk his ex away from her previous relationship (sorry to ask this) or was she already single. either way, her daughter could actively blame your husband for the disappearance of her father from the scene.

PS it is not an impossible scenario that the biological father was the one actually doing the touching but the accuser would rather vent her suppressed anger at this elsewhere.

As you are aware trials are a real-life drama and in a case where there is no evidence at all, he who puts on the best show wins. The jury must be given a good reason, even if it's only a supposition, for the accusation.

Equally, to play Devil's Advocate, the weakness in your case is that your husband's previous marriage only lasted 2.5 years, be prepared to defend against some intrusive and allusive questioning about this.

I am glad Rights Fighter has responded to your post, she will give you an honest appraisal of your legal team.

[seekingjustice]

I am sorry to read of your nightmare. I am also going through a nightmare and have never been interviewed by the police..... My ex made allegations and social services did talk to me but they did not act on anything however they did put my child on the at Risk register in Florida and i didnt even know about that,
My ex took my daughter to psyc meetings but she was only 18 months old and what ever my ex said they wrote you can guess the rest.
The Family Judge in the UK threw these notes out however i have now been told by CAFCASS that I have a stigma attached to me?? what?? so even if you are not arrested, charged. with these life changing false allegations CAFCASS seem to want to believe that they are true.... so can anyone ever come out of this ALIVE
I feel so angry for your plight and ask what can be done to prevent these terrible
allegations ruining peoples lives