Falsely accused caterer begins battle to get back his life and cash Monday, March 08, 2010, 07:30 A woman who falsely accused a Derbyshire man of rape after taking £71,500 of his cash has been ordered to pay back the entire amount. David Wilson, 45, spent seven months in custody on remand when he was charged with several crimes, including rape, after allegations were made against him. But four days before he was due to appear in court, he was told by police that new information had come to light and he was free to go. Mr Wilson said that before the allegations were made, he had paid the woman £71,500. However, just four days after the money was transferred, Mr Wilson was arrested on suspicion of committing a series of offences against the woman. A court has now said the £71,500 should be paid back to Mr Wilson. He said: "I just want this money back and I want everyone to know that I am completely innocent. "Spending all that time in prison wasn't … [Read more...]
A woman falsely accused her ex-boyfriend of repeatedly raping her in a “perverted act of revenge”.
A woman falsely accused her ex-boyfriend of repeatedly raping her in a "perverted act of revenge". Liverpool crown court was told 44 year-old Julie Watts, went to police and made lengthy and detailed rape allegations about former partner John Maguire. She even told officers that he had regularly used a knife to force her to have sex with him. Liverpool crown court heard she "thought better of it eventually" and a month later retracted her allegations. But the court heard that was not the end of Mr Maguire’s ordeal because prosecutors often see retractions from genuine victims. The Crown Prosecution Service had to decide whether the prosecution was viable. The court heard they eventually cleared Mr Maguire two months after Watts originally complained. He had spent more than three hours in police custody. Watts, of Flordon, Birch Green, Skelmersdale, was jailed for eight months. Adrian Evans, defending said Watts bitterly regretted what she had done and had … [Read more...]
Cry rape businesswoman who falsely accused father of two is jailed for 18 months
An innocent man who was arrested after a woman he had never met made a false rape allegation spoke of his continuing ordeal after she was jailed yesterday. Rosanne England, 21, tore her underwear, scratched her own face and then told police she had been attacked by a stranger who knocked on her door. Retired engineer Derek Cummings matched the description of her 'attacker' and had no alibi because he had been walking his dog in woods alone at the time England said she was raped in May last year. Rosanne England was jailed for 18 months at Winchester Crown Court after she admitted perverting the course of justice He was arrested and detained for 28 hours before being released on bail. After 24 days England finally admitted the allegation was untrue and Mr Cummings, 59, was exonerated. However after England was jailed for 18 months yesterday, Mr Cummings said he still had trouble from people around his home in Fawley, Hampshire, who wrongly believe 'there is no smoke … [Read more...]
Gynaecologist’s three-year ordeal ends as ‘fantasist with excessive libido’ drops her case
A woman who accused her gynaecologist of giving her ‘leg buckling orgasms’ on the consulting couch has dramatically withdrawn her case.Bibi Giles’s harassment claim against consultant Angus Thomson was effectively torpedoed when another doctor – a GP – threatened to tell the court that she had pestered him for sex in the past. Mrs Giles withdrew the case yesterday morning and agreed to pay £30,000 in legal costs for Mr Thomson. Last night the former model, 50, was branded an ‘attention-seeking fantasist’ with an ‘excessive libido’. Mr Thomson, 40, who has been supported by his GP wife Lucy throughout the five-day trial, broke down as he described how the allegations turned his life upside down and threatened to destroy his career and his marriage. He said the ‘horrible, false’ claims had threatened to ‘ruin’ his career and marriage. Father of three Mr Thomson said: ‘The last three years have been a horrible ordeal and this week in court has been … [Read more...]
Widow’s fury at two girls whose false accusation that her husband was a paedophile ‘drove him to a heart attack’
When Bryan Davies's funeral cortege travels through Accrington next week, it will take a special route past the homes of two young girls who played pivotal roles in his life... and death. But those inside the homes will not be emerging for a tearful goodbye - because it is claimed the youngsters' lies drove Bryan to an early grave. In August this year, the retired mechanic was falsely accused of being a paedophile by two schoolgirls, aged ten and 11. Police quickly cleared him of any wrongdoing - but rumours spread around the local area and he became a hate figure. Bricks were hurled through the windows of the Lancashire home he shared with fiancée Debbie, and the couple could not walk the streets without being verbally abused. With the stress building, Bryan, 63, suffered a stroke and developed a kidney problem - but vowed to fight on and clear his name. Sadly, prophetically, he said before his passing: "I won't give in. It'll probably kill me but I won't run away … [Read more...]
Innocent man driven to heart attack
An innocent man who suffered months of abuse over false claims that he was a paedophile has died after suffering a heart attack. Bryan Davies, 63, was branded a child molester after two girls claimed he sexually touched them. A police investigation was carried out and the claims against Mr Davies, who was disabled, were found to be false. Heart attack: Bryan Davies, pictured with his wife Debbie, was subjected to months of abuse by people who mistakenly believed he was a paedophile Police in Accrington, Lancashire, even issued a leaflet saying the allegations were 'without any foundation whatsoever'. But Mr Davies, a retired car mechanic, was still subjected to abuse and threats over five months. A brick was thrown through a window of the house he shared with his wife, their car tyres were slashed and he was constantly abused with shouts of 'paedo' and 'pervert'. Mr Davies suffered a stroke and was later admitted to hospital with a kidney problem. He died last Friday after a heart … [Read more...]
Moray woman who cried rape twice is sentenced
Moray woman who cried rape twice is sentenced Two men had to have medical examinations and lengthy interviews By Donna MacAllister Published: 08/12/2009 A Moray woman who falsely accused two men of raping her was ordered to do 200 hours of community service yesterday. Leoni Campbell admitted making the allegations in 2006 when she appeared at Elgin Sheriff Court. Campbell claimed she had been raped by a 20-year-old man on July 12 and by a 22-year-old man on August 2. Her address was given in court papers as c/o Public Defence Solicitors Office, 17 Queensgate, Inverness. Fiscal depute Shona Duncan told the court that Campbell’s allegations had meant the men were subjected to medical examinations and lengthy police interviews. Charges had not been brought in either case, she said. Campbell’s agent, Diane MacFarlane, said her client had not known either man personally. She had identified one of them by flicking through previous school yearbooks. She said 20-year-old Campbell, who was … [Read more...]
Prison inevitable for false rape accusers
Women who cry rape were warned by the Court of Appeal today that prison was 'inevitable' for an offence which attacks the criminal justice system. Rejecting a sentence challenge by a woman jailed for two years after making a false allegation against an innocent man, two senior judges emphasised the impact of such a crime on conviction rates. Mr Justice Henriques, sitting in London with Mrs Justice Rafferty, said: 'Every time a defendant stands trial for rape, defence counsel necessarily point out to the jury that false allegations are made. 'Allegations such as this drive yet another nail into the conviction rate.' The judge made his comments when dismissing an appeal brought by medical representative Jennifer Day, 35, from Essex, who was jailed by a judge at Basildon Crown Court in July after earlier being convicted by a jury of perverting the course of justice by making a false complaint of rape. Mr Justice Henriques said the two-year sentence was 'well-measured' and … [Read more...]
FACT says CCTV in classrooms are not the answer to false allegations in schools
The Guardian Newspaper have published a long article on the use of CCTV in Schools Someone to watch over you In March this year, Sam Goodman, 18, walked out of his politics lesson to protest against four CCTV cameras that had been installed overnight in the classroom. He was joined by all but one of his classmates. Goodman says his school, an Essex comprehensive, told the class that the cameras had not been switched on yet, and that when they were, they'd be used for teacher training purposes only. A few weeks later, Goodman says students discovered that the recording system was in a cupboard in the classroom and that the microphones were in fact on. Goodman and his friends promptly switched them off. Pupils' parents and the local MP, Eleanor Laing, a shadow justice minister, contacted the information commissioner to see whether the cameras had to remain. Goodman, who hopes to start a politics degree at Leeds University in the autumn, is keenly waiting for the … [Read more...]
Mother who cried rape after meeting man on dating website is jailed for two years
A mother was jailed for two years yesterday for crying rape against a man she met on a dating website. Jennifer Day, 34, who made the false allegation against former boyfriend Andrew Saxby after a row, was told by the judge that she had undermined efforts to treat genuine rape victims fairly and sympathetically. The court also heard that Mr Saxby was subjected to 'degrading and upsetting' examinations while being held by police for ten hours. Judge Ian Graham said the investigation had wasted £4,000 of taxpayers' money and 270 police man hours. He added: 'The police have put great stores on providing sympathetic treatments of women who make genuine complaints of rape and you abused that. 'You have undermined and jeopardised the efforts that are being made about the need to treat genuine victims of rape properly, fairly and sympathetically. 'The offence is in itself a serious one, it has terrible consequences potentially and actually for the victim and wider … [Read more...]
Judge say juries know false allegations are sometimes made.
The Colchester and Essex Gazette have reported that a man whose estranged wife falsely accused him of raping her pleaded with a judge to stop her being jailed. Michaela Lodge, 45 of Bedell Avenue, Black Notley, was jailed for four months at Chelmsford Crown Court and was told she had done a great disservice to genuine rape victims. Essex Police spent 62 hours investigating Lodge’s allegation that husband Martin had raped her in the house they continued to share, when in fact she had instigated sex, the court heard. In February, three months after Mr Lodge was arrested and held for 12 hours, Lodge wrote him a “confession” letter. However, Mr Lodge supported his wife and appealed to the judge not to jail her. She admitted perverting the course of justice and Judge Rodger Hayward Smith QC told her it was “a wicked allegation that was pre-planned to hasten his departure from your life”. He added: “Every false allegation of rape increases the plight of women … [Read more...]
Dave Jones speaks of false allegation ordeal
From The Times June 26, 2009 Dave Jones: My child sex charge ordeal In 1999 Dave Jones’s world was devastated by wrongful charges of child sex abuse. He reveals the damage it did to his family and his football career Matthew Syed It was at the moment the door to the police interview room clanked shut that Dave Jones knew something was horribly wrong. The place was dank and windowless. It smelt like a hospital ward with paint peeling off the walls. Fear seemed to engulf the manager of Southampton Football Club as he sat there, alone, waiting. He was jolted from his thoughts by the door banging against the wall. Two officers entered the room. One of them started to speak, but what he said seemed somehow incomprehensible, yet at the same time as dark and threatening as the room in which Jones was sitting. “David Jones, you are under arrest.” Jones felt his stomach lurch and his skin crawl. “Arrest? What for?” he replied. “Physical abuse and . . . [it seemed to Jones … [Read more...]
Head teacher witness admits ‘lie’
A girl has admitted she had made a false allegation against a doctor, the the trial of a head teacher accused of sexual assaults on children has heard. David Thorley, 56, from Carmarthen, denies 19 charges in the case at Swansea Crown Court. In a video interview played to the jury the girl claimed that Mr Thorley had pulled up her skirt to look for a rash. But under questioning she agreed she had once labelled a GP a "perv" and had to write an apology to him. However, the latest witness giving evidence against the Pembrokeshire primary school head teacher insisted in court that she was telling the truth about what she said happened in Mr Thorley's office. She also said she thought a female teacher had been stood in the office doorway when the alleged incident took place. But defence barrister Marian Lewis questioned the girl on an allegation she had previously made against a GP she had visited for a headache. It was claimed the witness had accused the doctor of feeling between … [Read more...]
Sheer Wickedness
A Darlington man has spoken of the pain and humiliation after being falsely accused of rape by his estranged wife. Anthony Scoones was arrested at his home and spent 16 hours in a police cell when his former partner – out to discredit him after their “acrimonious separation” – told detectives he had sexually assaulted her. His 26-year-old accuser, of Kirkstone Place, Newton Aycliffe, admitted an act intending to pervert the course of justice and was jailed for 12 months for what a judge called “sheer wickedness” (more) Source: Northern Echo … [Read more...]
Scottish woman falsely accuses man of rape
According to a report in the Highland News a 25 year old woman who falsely cried rape was sentenced to 200 hours community service at Inverness Sheriff Court this week. Louise Bain (25) met a man she knew in Inverness and had consensual sexual conduct with him, before panicking and running away, the court heard. Bain was afraid what would happen to her if her boyfriend found out she had been with another man, according to her defence solicitor John McColl. She pled guilty to telling two police constables at Northern Constabulary medical suite in Dalneigh that she had been sexually assaulted and raped on September 16 last year by the man and caused officers to devote their time and effort into an investigation which she knew to be false. The court heard that the police detained the falsely accused man and he was placed in a detention room before a lengthy taped interview took place. Fiscal Sandy Collie explained that the man was then subjected to a full medical examination … [Read more...]
Woman in false rape claim jailed
The BBC have reported that a Northamptonshire woman has been jailed for 20 months over a false allegation of rape. Alesha Watkins, 20, claimed Darren Ball, 25, attacked her after a party at Rushden, Northamptonshire, in December 2007. Mr Ball spent 19 hours in custody and made four court appearances over seven months, Northampton Crown Court heard. Watkins admitted perverting the course of justice. Judge Charles Wide QC said her lies had left a completely innocent man accused of rape. After reporting she had been raped Watkins told police that she was withdrawing her complaint because a £3,000 contract had been taken out on her life. Threats were being made against her because she had approached police, she said. But this was another lie, the court was told. In fact, Watkins, of Tewkesbury Drive, Rushden, had consented to sex with Mr Ball. A completely innocent 25-year-old man of good character was accused of rape falsely Judge Charles Wide QCShe had been … [Read more...]
Bitter land feud behind wrongful sexual assault conviction [Eire]
Neighbour convicted after girl concocted tale of brutal sexual assault now faces battle with DPP to get case declared a miscarriage of justice. Ireland has a long history of feuding over land, often with brutal consequences. John B Keane chronicled the murderous fall-out of one man's hunger for land in The Field. Last week, the Court of Criminal Appeal heard of the devastating effects that followed when a 10-year-old child became infected with the bitter enmity that divided two families and the rural west of Ireland community in which they lived. Inspired by revenge and misplaced loyalty to her parents, the girl concocted an accusation of sexual assault against her neighour's son. She kept her guilty secret for decade, describing it as a "cancer" that dogged her until she finally confessed her lie. He carried the legacy of a four-year suspended sentence, his name irrevocably blackened in his community, judged for a crime that he did not commit. Last week, the Court of … [Read more...]
Cleared man fails in attempt to sue accuser
A man who spent two years in jail before being cleared of rape has had his attempt to claim damages from his accuser denied at the High Court. Anthony Hunt, 65, of Blandford St Mary, Dorset, was jailed for four years in 2003 but had his conviction quashed on appeal in 2005. Mr Hunt, who maintains the sex was consensual, launched a civil claim against his accuser on Monday. But on Thursday Mr Justice Blake ruled that the woman was not the prosecutor. Mr Hunt's claim against his accuser was for malicious prosecution. The woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was referred to in court as AB. 'Reluctance to report' Mr Hunt, a former senior traffic warden, had his conviction for the alleged 1995 offence overturned at the Court of Appeal in December 2005, when judges heard evidence from two new witnesses. The conviction was also quashed on the basis of inadequate direction to the jury. Mr Hunt argued that the woman became the prosecutor by giving a … [Read more...]
‘Wicked’ woman who ruined a marriage by crying rape jailed for four months
A report by Andy Dolan in trhe Mail on line on the 29th July states that a woman who falsely accused her former boyfriend of rape was jailed for four months after the Judge called her 'wicked', A woman whose false rape allegation led to the collapse of her victim’s marriage has been jailed for four months after a judge branded her ˜wicked". Tracey Winfield, 21, claimed she had been held down in a park by her former boyfriend Richard Peacock while his friend Dean Frasier raped her. As a result of her allegations delivered in a detailed, seven-page statement the men were arrested and held in police cells for 17 and a half hours. The pair, both innocent, were forced to undergo medical examinations and give intimate samples before being released on bail. Their ordeals ended only when Winfield walked into a police station in Grantham, Lincolnshire five days later and confessed the incident never took place. Mr Frasier was so distraught over her claims he contemplated … [Read more...]
Police warn those who report false crimes
"DON'T waste our time" - that's the message from police as a crackdown on people who falsely report crimes continues.The warning comes as two people, who made allegations that later turned out to be untrue, were given £80 fines during February.A 26-year-old man from Bruce Crescent, Hartlepool, was fined after claiming a television set had been stolen in a burglary - only for police to find it in an upstairs bedroom.Also last month, a 19-year-old woman from Hurworth Street, Hartlepool, falsely reported she had been assaulted by an ex-partner.Detective Inspector Keith Groves of Hartlepool Police said: "Inquiries revealed the TV was actually upstairs in the house and he was fined £80 for wasting police time."We will continue to scrutinise each and every crime reported to us and people making false allegations will be dealt with appropriately."Crime in Hartlepool has dropped to manageable levels where every incident reported is fully investigated, flagging up things that might have gone … [Read more...]
Mum made thousands of hoax rape claims
The following story published in the North Wales Press has been brought to our attention A mother of four pretended to be a 14-year-old rape victim as she made thousands of hoax calls to hospitals and police, a court was told yesterday. Rachel Marsh rang most of the police forces in the country and numerous hospitals with a false story which caused great distress to health workers and police officers. She told a desperate tale of how she had been raped by her stepfather who was going to snatch her baby and throw it into a canal. Marsh, 28, of Rhyl, formerly of Kinmel Bay, appeared before Chester magistrates yesterday to be sentenced after admitting harassment and wasting police time. After consideration of medical and psychiatric reports Marsh was given a three year supervision order, a 9pm to 7am daily curfew for three months, and ordered to pay £300 costs. Cheshire policewoman Yvonne Ouseley spent 350 hours investigating her story while about 500 hours were … [Read more...]
Teacher cleared of head butt.
A teacher accused of headbutting and punching a disruptive 13-year-old pupil was today cleared by a court of common assault. Graham Davies, 55, of Aveton Gifford, Devon, denied assaulting the boy at his comprehensive school on 3 December last year. The chairman of Totnes magistrates, Anthony Bailey, said: "We believe Mr Davies's evidence in its totality." London Evening News … [Read more...]
Teenagers made false claims of rape
A teenage girl put a serving soldier through 20 hours of police questioning in custody by falsely accusing him of rape, a court heard yesterday. The girl, from Wearside, who cannot be identified, made the claim in a written police statement and underwent a medical examination to support her story in January this year. A second teenager, aged 16, also made a statement to police backing the older girl's rape claim knowing it to be false. IC Newcastle … [Read more...]
Care home girl branded “fantastic liar” Care worker cleared of assault
A former care worker has been cleared of groping a schoolgirl after she was branded a 'fantastic liar'. Stephen Howarth, 55, had been accused of molesting the girl more than 16 years ago when he worked at a Newcastle children's care home. The girl - aged 15 at the time - claimed Howarth pushed her onto a bed and fondled her before she managed to escape. But yesterday at Newcastle Crown Court, the jury were directed to find Howarth not guilty after the court heard how the girl, who cannot be named, was branded a liar by her own social worker. IC Newcastle … [Read more...]
Teacher Cleared of Abuse at Liverpool Crown Court
A Liverpool religious education teacher John Tallon was cleared at Liverpool Crown Court yesterday after the jury deliberated for just 20 minutes of false allegations of abuse.He told the BBC of his "nine months of hell" after a teenager falsely accused him of indecently assaulting her. Mr Tallon was able to disprove the claims by accounting for where he was on the days he was alleged to have been with the girl. The child's mother also said she had found a bundle of "love letters" supposedly from Mr Tallon, but in her daughter's hand-writing. BBC … [Read more...]
