Falsely accused !

The ultimate horror for any man is to be falsely accused of rape - and then named and shamed in the national media.  That is exactly what happened to a thirty-four year old man who had the misfortune to be the only other occupant of a train carriage with a seventeen year old girl.

This girl went to station staff at Strathfield rail station and claimed that the man had forced her off the train and taken her to a disabled toilet - where he had raped her.  The police were called, cctv footage examined and the alleged attacker identified - and promptly arrested.

He spent four nights in Silverwater prison as the case began to unravel.  On Sunday, the police withdrew their objection to bail and this was granted.   When the accused was placed before a magistrate it was revealed that there were "  significant changes to the police case " - and subsequently all charges were dropped.   The accused walked free.

Days earlier another young woman claimed a car pulled up beside her and a man tried to abduct her.  She gave a vivid description of her assailant and the police began a search of cctv footage - and quickly found this to be a false story.   The cctv coverage revealed the accuser standing in a nearby lane having a smoke when this claimed abduction was happening.

Making a false claim is a crime but the police are unable to say whether charges will be laid in either of these two cases.   If this seventeen year old girl is charged the fact that she is classed as a juvenile will see her name and photograph barred from media publication.  Her victim was not so lucky !

Rape is a horrible crime and a rapist deserves public vilification, but even when complete innocence is proven, the stigma sticks in the eyes of some people.  It can hover in the background and affect career prospects - and in some cases ruins marriages.

Many people will wonder why we are seeing a surge of false accusations.   Is it a feminist act of revenge against men ?    Is it an attempt to attract publicity in the hope that this may launch a media career ?   Is it sheer boredom - and an attempt to liven things up ?   Is it a mental derangement caused by drugs ?

It will certainly do a disservice to women.   The next time a victim cries rape or some other type of sexual attack there will be a doubt in many people's minds.    It is essential that the police pursue all false reports of crime with vigour.   Only then do the full details get an airing in the media - which helps to clear those falsely accused - but it also brings home to the accuser the price they will pay for this type of senseless action.

If these cases are quietly dropped - a false accuser gets all the benefits they hoped for - without a penalty !