false rape allegations

Two leading feminists have new books out, one about male entitlement, another about men who hate women. Be sure not to read them.

This programme or one like it is long overdue; screened late at night on September 10, it can currently be found on BBC iPlayer.

Why should a woman be allowed to accuse a man of rape anonymously?
Why indeed? Women, and all alleged victims of sexual offences, have increasingly been granted anonymity in criminal cases. In  the UK, the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act, 1976 granted anonymity for both accuser and accused, but in 1988, defendants were no longer entitled to it.

The Republicans may have been hit with more than a few manufactured scandals since Donald Trump declared his intention to run for the Presidency, but so have the Democrats, to complement their real ones. The big difference is that scant attention is generally paid to the latter. Until recently.

The arrest of Ghislaine Maxwell this week has led to a media feeding frenzy and calls for Prince Andrew to talk to the FBI, including from the lead lawyer prosecuting the case, Audrey Strauss of the Southern District, New York. He should not. The answer to the question why not is two words: Michael Flynn. Or alternatively George Papadopoulos.

In December 2013, American singer-songwriter Conor Oberst was accused of rape. The accusation was anonymous, or more accurately pseudonymous, and was made only in cyberspace. Rather than ignore it or issue a bland denial, Oberst consulted his lawyer, and his accuser retracted. This month, Canadian singer-songwriter Justin Bieber was on the receiving end of a similar allegation, and announced his intention to go one better.

The misnamed #MeToo Movement was thrown into turmoil by the recent claims of Tara Reade when a number of prominent feminists (read hypocrites) sided with Joe Biden ignoring the de rigueur “believe all women” mantra. Sadly, this movement is unlikely to burn out anytime soon, at least not before due process has been totally eroded worldwide. However, there have been two very recent high profile cases, one on each side of the Atlantic, which will hopefully cause it even more grief.

The reality is that rape is always prosecuted where the allegation is considered credible while false rape allegations are prosecuted infrequently, in the UK at least.
Here are a few examples from the same time period to illustrate the point.

Last month’s acquittal of Alex Salmond on multiple charges of sexual assault including two of attempted rape should be seen as a vindication of due process. Alas, it goes without saying that not everybody was happy with the verdicts, including Sandy Brindley, the Chief Executive of Rape Crisis Scotland. It also goes without saying the “victims” were not happy.

Now here’s the rub, Shelly’s big mistake was faking her injuries and reporting the crime at once. What she should have done was wait six months or a year before reporting it. During that time she could have worked on her son, and drip fed lies to her circle of friends – as did false rape accuser Rhiannon Brooker.