109 women prosecuted for false rape claims in past 5 years

I agree, MyEmpireofDirt.

False accusations are as prevalent in other crimes as they are in rape and yet they are not held up as an excuse not to believe victims the way they are with rape. They are a handy excuse for people who are already disbelieving, but suppose there were none, it wouldn't make any difference because people would say there were.

Consider this. If a rapist is investigated but not convicted, what's he going to say to everyone? That he did it but got away with it? Mostly, no - he's going to tell everyone he was falsely accused. So you can have no false accusations whatsoever but people believing that there were, and the more guilty rapists get away with it, the more false accusations there are going to appear to be.

Please do read the link I posted about Layla Ibrahim. In that case there was no specific "victim" of her supposedly false allegation who insisted on pressing charges. The police didn't believe this young woman's account, they asked to retract, she wouldn't. Without any clear evidence and even though they themselves apparently believed she had mental health issues they then proceeded to charge her with perverting the course of justice.

Sorry you had such an awful time, Gray

the police can only get evidence then put it to the Prosecution Service, and then the CPS decide if it is enough to go further with unto court.

The police can't automatically do anything. Nor can a member of public. It goes further than that before anything. The police are not the ones who decide whether it goes to court.

Speaking in genuine ignorance here, but is it the police who are proceeding with prosecutions here? (wasting police time or whathaveyou), if so that can stop for a start. I think same as with the rape itself the wronged party should have to press the charges.

If the police somehow automatically then proceed in some cases to charge the woman that is utterly bizarre (and shows a distinct bias against women in my view). That is not to say false accusations shouldn't be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, but we should be removing barriers to people reporting abuse not erecting them.

If the victim of a false accusation doesn't care to pursue it neither should the police. If I've gotten this fundamentally wrong please ignore me.

Thankyou venus and Tsukuru I really didn't mean for all that to come out, but thankyou.

Grays

I don't think you're diverting from the issue at all. I'm so sorry that happened to you. The case I'm talking about has similarities with yours and demonstrates clearly why police/CPS should not prosecute people for perverting the course of justice without a damn good reason and a ton of positive evidence of malicious intent.

This is part of why I would never report again. First time I reported the police told me that CPS have to be happy of an 80% chance of conviction before they'll take it and only 10% of cases get taken - so they're assuming that only 8% of reported rapes will be prosecuted. If only 5-15% are reported that's 0.4-1.2% of rapes that are convicted.

Can you imagine if less than half a percent of murderers were convicted?

People I'm so sorry, I'm diverting from the issue here. It's because I've gotten upset. Please ignore.

I can only speak from experience, but I've found both the police and CPS have not only been lacking in obtaining evidence, but preparing people for a case.

I'm sorry to bore people with my experience, but like I said I was the victim in my scenario. I had to show up in court without ever seeing my barrister. There was CCTV evidence and I wasn't allowed to view it. The other side was. Some of the injuries I sustained weren't submitted to court because the HOSPITAL lost records of them. A constant chain of let downs.

I'd never seen my barriser. Yet I was shoved in a room, and then had to await my 'time' in crown court.

I, had obviously forgotten what had happened because of head injuries. The prosecution asked me what happened, then showed the video, and there were inconsistencies that allowed the person to get off with it. Because I couldn't remember everything. Maybe if I'd seen the video it would have triggered memories, maybe I wouldn't have broken down in tears on seeing it the first time. Maybe. Maybe. Always maybes.

Indeed. I don't think they have any business starting a criminal prosecution against people who come to them for help and claim to have suffered a traumatic assault on the basis of their frankly rather inane, judgemental and rape myth influenced speculations about how a victim should behave and their own failing to find the unknown people alleged to have committed that assault.

In fact it seems quite malicious to me, to pursue such a prosecution.

In which case I would want sufficient evidence to prove so. Just because the police or CPS thinks so doesn't mean it will always be so.

Or it's a genuine rape report, but for whatever reason the police/CPS mistakenly think it's a false accusation. As was quite possibly the case for Layla Ibrahim.

Sorry I should say, what is a 'genuine false accusation'? It's either false because it's untrue, or it's a retraction

I don't think there should be a jail sentence for those found guilty of genuine false accusations though

Oh I do. I know you said earlier that lives weren't ruined because of rape accusations, but they are. Didn't you hear about the man that was beaten to death because of an accusation?

And because of that, I second that those who do go through with it are the bravest of people. My friend tried to too, when it happened to her. She was very brave. Although she was 'advised' to drop the case through lack of evidence. Disgusting.

I was in court once Tsukuru because I was assaulted. It was a horrible experience. I was belittled, made to feel like scum, saying I was lying, tried to make out I'd paid witnesses and set the whole thing up. I was actually in hospital with a fractured skull and a broken hand and wrist. I ended up crying in the box. I was the victim, and was made to feel this way.

And that's why I never went through with a case for what happened to me. I couldn't go through with it again. I understand why they have to be so harsh, but they were beyond harsh. I am actually crying typing this now. I know I let some scumbag get off with what he did to me but I just couldnt do it.

I sometimes wonder if I should have reported my rapes but things like this make me feel glad I didn't. Could not face possibility of being called a liar and treated like a criminal when not doing anything wrong.

Those who report rapes are really brave.

I don't think it's ok to lie. Obviously. But as others have said retraction or dropping the case isn't a false accusation.
I don't think there should be a jail sentence for those found guilty of genuine false accusations though.

itsbetter I didnt get that she was comparing the two. I got more that this topic was trying to make a stance against the two though.

I understand your emotion and anger in your post, trust me, I felt the same when I felt I had to drop my case when it happened to me.

But it is an issue that we have to think about. At the same time, as a society, we need to ensure women get the support they need to pursue justice, we also need to acknowledge that there will be false reports and that we cannot pooh pooh them in the name of protecting those who are telling the truth. That wouldn't be justice either. And I wouldn't wish for that to happen in the name of women like me - not that I can speak for us all.