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This page last updated Oct
30 2006
2005-0929 - NZ Herald - Spate
of false sex complaints
Last
year, 290 people nationwide were charged with making a false complaint,
wasting almost 3000 hours of police time and costing more than $230,000.
2005-0904 - Sunday Star Times -
Cabbies warned over false rape claims
The taxi industry wants drivers to install tape recorders or cameras
in their cars to protect themselves after a spate of false rape allegations.
Drivers concede that assaults by cabbies do happen, but say many more false
allegations are made or threatened against drivers every day.
2005-0817 - Newstalk ZB - False
rape complaints affect taxi industry
The Taxi Federation believes false rape complaints against drivers are
affecting the credibility of the industry. Police have charged a 23-year-old
woman with making a false statement after she claimed she was attacked in the
back of a Wellington tax near Johnsonville 12 days ago. Taxi Federation
executive director Tim Reddish says it is a concern to all drivers.
2005-0808 - kiwiblog - False Rape
Complaints
by David Farrar - Such false complaints are a lose-lose for all
concerned.
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They discourage actual rape victims from
complaining, because of the climate of suspicion that the false complaints
generate
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They can destroy a guy's life, even if later
found to be false
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They can destroy the girl's life if it is widely
known she made a false complaint
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They tie up a huge amount of police time better
spent on actual crimes
2005-0808 - One News - False rape
complaints tie up resources
2005-0808 - NZ Herald - False rape
complaints annoy police
Senior
investigators estimate that between 60 and 80 per cent of rape complaints
made by women are false. Mr Keall said false complaints tainted the
community's perception of sexual offending and the genuine victims who needed
support. He said there was also a difference between people making complaints
of stranger rapes and making allegations against a specific person, which
could sometimes be malicious.
2005-0706 - The Press -
Falsely accused
by Paula Weir - Twice in less than a month two young men have been
acquitted of charges of rape that were laid maliciously. One was a 31 year
old with two small children from Dunedin, the other an 18-year-old from
Rotorua. These cases barely gained a mention in the media, a stark contrast
to if they had been found guilty.
2005-0514 - NZ Herald - Police
chase woman for false rape complaint costs
Police
are seeking nearly $5000 from a woman they claim wasted their time over a
false rape complaint. ……..Detective Senior Sergeant Richard Middleton, of the
Manukau Crime Squad, said that of 75 sexual complaints in his area since
Christmas, about 10 were believed fake. ………Mr Middleton said detectives
sometimes interviewed women who spun a web of lies to "cover up
indiscretions" or simply to seek publicity. He said police took complaints of this
"abhorrent crime" very seriously, but false complaints were
"not acceptable".
2005-0311 - NZ Herald - This cop's
life on the line
by Sandra Paterson - I met a police officer this week whose life has
been devastated. Until recently he was working in the Auckland gang
scene……These days he stays at home most of the time - after being accused of
something he did not do and stood down indefinitely. …….And if we're going to
talk about police culture, about bad cops who do bad things, we should also
talk about good cops, especially good cops who are falsely accused and who
find themselves with little or no support from their senior officers.
2005-0228 - The Press - Police
to take a tougher line over false complaints
by Anna Claridge - Police are taking a stand against people who make
false complaints, after a spate of fictitious accusations which wasted
thousands of hours of police time. Figures released to The Press show 290
people were charged with making false complaints in the year ended June 2004,
wasting almost 3000 hours of police time and costing more than $230,000 to
investigate……. Since June 1998, police have noticed an overall rise in false
statements made, with an average of 444 each year, not all of which result in
charges.
2005-0220 -
National Catholic Register (USA) - The true cost of false witness
by
Jennifer Roback Morse - It is the "nuclear option" in divorce and
custody cases. It is the nightmare scenario for foster parents. It can be the
end of a teaching or child-care career. What is it? It is a false allegation
of child abuse. This is not only a particularly vicious form of fraud; it is
one of the few lies that the legal system makes no effort to punish. There
is, for all practical purposes, no penalty for making a false accusation of
child abuse
2005-0200 -
Department of Corrections - Operations Manual (extract)
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Excellent
guidelines that should form the backbone of Operations Manuals for all
Government Departments and Child Abuse Investigators
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"Staff must be impartial" - Staff dealing with complaints
must be utterly impartial, and may give no indication that they believe the
word of the either complainant or the alleged harasser. Both parties are
“Innocent unless proven guilty”
2005-0200 -
Auckland District Health Board - Guidelines - Sexual Abuse
If the patient decides not to pursue the complaint don't over-persuade. There
may be very personal / practical reasons for this reluctance, and they may
not want to tell even you of these. The majority of so-called "false
complaints" appears to be when someone other than the victim reports the
rape / assault to the police.
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