Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Feminism: chat

Original poster

109 women prosecuted for false rape claims in past 5 years

241 replies

AWholeLottaNosy · 01/12/2014 19:52

This made me so angry. The thousands of women that can't get justice for being raped due to 'lack of evidence' yet the CPS thinks it's ok to pursue these women for reporting their rape to the police. We all know how incredibly hard it is to report a rape and the facts speak for themselves, aprox 85,000 rapes a year, 5-15% are reported, of those reported rapes, only 6% get a conviction. This is a fucking travesty but it seems like it's easier to get a conviction for a false rape allegation than get a conviction for a devastating, life altering crime? Something is very wrong here...

www.theguardian.com/law/2014/dec/01/109-women-prosecuted-false-rape-allegations

Oh and last thing, false rape allegations are aprox 2% of all reported allegations, similar to other types of crime.

OP posts:
SevenZarkSeven · 02/12/2014 22:13

Destiny there are concerns from charities that women who have been imprisoned for this are not actually guilty.

And the reason for highlighting it is to highlight the difference in approach between real claims of rape and false claims of rape, and what that tells us about the attitude of the police.

War says it is supporting several women who say they were bullied into retracting their rape complaint by police and then told they would be prosecuted for perverting the course of justice.

SevenZarkSeven · 02/12/2014 22:17

Destiny of course they are connected Confused

They are connected because the police + authorities are renowned for disbelieving women who report rape, and proceeding on that basis.

So a woman goes in to report a rape, the police decide on the basis of their prejudices that she is lying, they gather no evidence about her complaint, and they start investigating her instead.

Clearly this will result in a disproportionate amount of women being jailed for false allegations vs men being jailed for rape.

We know all this stuff don't we.

SevenZarkSeven · 02/12/2014 22:23

Because they are going to be jailing a massive % of women (and men) who falsely accuse others of rape, and we know that they are only imprisoning 6% of men who they get reports about. That's before you look at the non reported rapes.

So basically if you falsely report a rape there is a really good chance you will get found out and done for it. If you rape someone there is an incredibly low chance that you will get done for it.

This is worth highlighting surely, especially when it adds to the body of information around this topic and how the police are faring.

SevenZarkSeven · 02/12/2014 22:24

sorry for multiple posts Smile

just trying to get what I'm trying to say phrased so that it makes sense!

Destinycalls · 02/12/2014 22:28

Sometimes I think I'm in a parallel universe!

How on earth can a woman be found guilty without any evidence whatsoever. Please give me one scenario a jury would accept.

War cites only American incidences if I am reading it correctly.

Surely it doesn't matter what the proportion is if you maliciously lie to discredit and have an innocent man imprisoned you are wrong.

If the police don't take rape seriously that is the issue to be tackled.

At the moment DH is telling me about a married woman in his office who is constantly taking breaks at the same time. Leaning over him with paperwork and making it clear she wants a relationship with him. DH is like a rabbit in the headlights in case she makes allegations. Not because he will assault her but because he is rejecting her. I'm sure if something happened to your DH or DP wrt false allegations you would not be so forgiving.

Or would it be that DH won't be believed either?

GraysAnalogy · 02/12/2014 22:35

I don't think questioning women being convicted of false rape claims (obviously if there is evidence, and just due to forced recant) is helpful in trying to help rapists convicted.

Obviously I understand why this is such a big issue. I understand that we have massive issues in getting rapists convicted. But I also believe that we cannot allow this to intrude in wrongdoers, ie false accusations, from being dealt with.

It upsets me that it's false accusations like those documented that make it harder for women to continue with cases against their abusers.

Destinycalls · 02/12/2014 22:35

Ditto re multiple posts Smile

I'm just trying to say rape should be taken very seriously which it isn't at the moment, but also destroying someone's life with false allegations is a serious issue.

With rape now used as a weapon of war in various countries, and sexual exploitation of young girls and an increasingly sexualised society I think that rape itself is becoming trivialised. This to me is the greater issue.

I am sure if DH lost his job, family and everything he has worked for while the woman hides behind anonymity how can that be fair. To me that is just as much a 'devastating life altering crime'.

GraysAnalogy · 02/12/2014 22:35

and not just due*

kilmuir · 02/12/2014 22:39

Of course they should be prosecuted.

MyEmpireOfDirt · 02/12/2014 22:45

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Destinycalls · 02/12/2014 22:46

Exactly Grey. If we trivialise false allegations of rape and make it easier for accusers to walk away having put a man through hell and with a 'mud always sticks' attitude to live with, we are making real rape victims face a level of disbelief which they would otherwise hopefully not.

If they know the consequences or their actions are severe then they are less likely to do it. It's hard enough getting rape convictions and I am sure there is a lot of prejudice against certain victims, so let's not condone adding to their victimisation.

GraysAnalogy · 02/12/2014 22:47

In all honesty I don't think we should belittle men's worries about the matter, is that productive? I mean, there's a lot of things that I worry about that aren't common.

GraysAnalogy · 02/12/2014 22:48

sorry, x posts

Destinycalls · 02/12/2014 22:48

DH was in a job as a teenager and a girl there accused him of putting his hand up her skirt. Luckily records showed he was off sick that week! So he is a bit on the neurotic side Grin

venusinscorpio · 02/12/2014 23:14

Destiny

There have been cases in the UK where a woman has reported being raped or assaulted by an unknown attacker and gone to prison for perverting the course of justice for "inconsistencies" in her testimony:

www.theguardian.com/law/2011/aug/12/layla-jailed-after-reporting-sexual-assault

So the police/CPS are quite OK with subjecting someone who has alleged a violent sex attack to an adversarial trial by jury (even when as in this case they had actually lost or compromised potentially vital evidence), with all its known failings where rape is concerned.

How is such a prosecution possibly in the public interest? I go to report a rape, the police for whatever reason (systemic rape myths, personal prejudice, or just because they're a bit stupid) think there's something fishy even though they don't really have any grounds for it beyond a lack of positive evidence and their own speculation - I refuse to withdraw my allegation and they charge me with a jailable offence just because?

How does that help rape victims? Isn't the thought of possibly facing jail after the details of your rape have been picked apart by unsympathetic people who have a vested interest in casting doubt on your version of events enough to put anyone off reporting in the first place?

That case is a scandal and should horrify any decent person.

itsbetterthanabox · 02/12/2014 23:33

Destiny. Stop comparing the experience of being raped with the experience of being accused of rape. They are not the same or equal.
A hell of a lot of men are accused of rape because there are a lot of rapists and they never get punished because of our shit police and courts and their lives are not ruined. I know of many men who have been accused who live unaffected lives and people defend them and talk of the horrible bitches that accused them, these women are their victims!
I also know rape victims whose lives will never be the same again and who nobody believes! Because they are 'slutty' or drunk.
Stop comparing them.

GraysAnalogy · 02/12/2014 23:40

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.

itsbetterthanabox · 02/12/2014 23:50

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.

TsukuruTazaki · 03/12/2014 00:17

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.

GraysAnalogy · 03/12/2014 00:25

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.

GraysAnalogy · 03/12/2014 00:26

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.

GraysAnalogy · 03/12/2014 00:28

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?

GraysAnalogy · 03/12/2014 00:29

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

venusinscorpio · 03/12/2014 00:42

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.

GraysAnalogy · 03/12/2014 00:52

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.