What a huge waste of public money

What a huge waste of public money

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PurpleMoonlight

Original Poster:

22,362 posts

156 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
quotequote all
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3435317/Tr...

Elderly actress, who can't be named, claims she was penetrativly sexually assaulted in the middle of a busy train station over a matter of seconds (while wearing trousers), and turns out to be lying.

The main issue is though, why didn't the police access the CCTV footage as the defence lawyers did, and if they didn't before presenting the case to the CPS why didn't the CPS ask them to.

This poor chap, who was minding his own business, ends up in 18 months of hell because of a loony lovey. I hope he can get some compensation for this farce and the woman is charged with wasting police time.


myvision

1,931 posts

135 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
quotequote all
She should be named and charged for wasting police time or something.

turbobloke

103,742 posts

259 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
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Surely this kind of thing should be treated as attempting to pervert the course of justice, resulting in significant jail time. Maintaining anonymity under these circumstances is ridiculous. Presumably there's some sort of misguided reasoning in operation about encouraging victims to come forward...with malicious allegations.

TTmonkey

20,911 posts

246 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
quotequote all
Surely the issue here is with the people that listened to her story? There is clearly something written at the CPS.

She is clearly a mentalist of some sort, and should be treated.

They however, need to face facts that they are targeting men over crimes that have never happened.

Witch finder generals is a good description.

Tribal Chestnut

2,997 posts

181 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
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Based on what's written here, she should definitely lose any right to anonymity and face trial.

These people don't appreciate the very negative affect their actions could have on genuine victims who might well think twice about approaching the police to report a sexual assault. Not to mention the impact on the accused. Selfish old .

PurpleMoonlight

Original Poster:

22,362 posts

156 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
quotequote all
There certainly needs to be a serious review of the CPS procedures. They are clearly incompetent.




Type R Tom

3,859 posts

148 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
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What I don't understand is that the CPS/Police must have seen the CCTV footage and as soon as they did it her story is thrown into disrepute. What is the evidence they have to make the case viable apart from he was there?

williamp

19,213 posts

272 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
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THE CPS.?? Targets, don'tcha know...

".... Saunders has also stated that the number of rape prosecutions being brought to court will increase by a third in the year 2015 and has argued that this increase follows improvements in the treatment received by victims by police, courts and the Crown Prosecution Service..."

The person in charge. Whether she is common purpose or not is pure speculation...


turbobloke

103,742 posts

259 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
quotequote all
Type R Tom said:
What I don't understand is that the CPS/Police must have seen the CCTV footage and as soon as they did it her story is thrown into disrepute. What is the evidence they have to make the case viable apart from he was there?
Surely you're aware that police lay charges on the uncorroborated allegations of a woman without investigation? An innocent now-divorced member of my family experienced this. No investigation whatsoever, the sequence of events was allegation of assault-arrest-allegation denied (offer of Police Caution refused)-charged-case dropped due to the accuser and the alleged criminal being in two different towns over 200 miles apart. There were no independent witnesses.

Yes it was that silly but without the accused being allowed back to the then family home to get their diary, and contract prohibited (bail conditions) the charge was laid anyway and then fell apart on the first day in front of mags. The paralegal advising the alleged criminal stated that it was local police policy to charge everything and let the Courts sort it out.

andy_s

19,397 posts

258 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
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Is there no recourse in civil rather than criminal law?

turbobloke

103,742 posts

259 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
quotequote all
andy_s said:
Is there no recourse in civil rather than criminal law?
Often the accusers will be men or women of straw and it's largely pointless, and it delays moving on, but I wholly agree in principle.

Moonhawk

10,730 posts

218 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
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1. Why did this even make it to court - let alone the trial take 3 days?
2. Why is he named?
3. Why hasn't she been named?
4. Why isn't she now up on charges of PCOJ, contempt of court etc for what was clearly a blatant lie?

Anonymity under the guise of "protecting the victim" can be justified - but in this case.....HE is the victim. Where is his right to anonymity? He's had his name dragged through the courts and media whist she gets off scot free with her reputation and anonymity intact!

Edited by Moonhawk on Sunday 7th February 11:31

Moonhawk

10,730 posts

218 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
quotequote all
TTmonkey said:
They however, need to face facts that they are targeting men over crimes that have never happened.
The scary thing is - had this not happened in a public place with multiple potential witnesses and CCTV, he could very well have been found guilty - especially with the drive to up the conviction rate in rape cases (I suspect this drive is one of the reasons this case made it to court in the first place).

The Hypno-Toad

12,249 posts

204 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
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She's famous and in recent years the police & CPS seem obssessed with getting involved with cases where they can get involved either so that they can divert attention away from other cases (Cliff), to promote their force or as is probably the case with this one just to say they had spent some time with someone well known who perhaps shares their world view and purpose in life.

But I'm quite sure the dark web will leak the name (or provide enough clues) shortly to point the finger at lady involved.

anonymous-user

53 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
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If the case was so weak, why didn't the defence apply for a 'half time' application, where they apply for the matter to be halted after the prosecution have provided their evidence?

Why didn't the defence go down other routes of discontinuance?

If the case was so weak, why did the judge allow the jury to make a decision?

It would appear the threshold tests were met.

Type R Tom said:
What is the evidence they have to make the case viable apart from he was there?
Good question. We all know how the media, especially the Mail, are ruthless in their pursuit to accurately represent often complex legal matters and trials.

turbobloke

103,742 posts

259 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
quotequote all
La Liga said:
If the case was so weak, why didn't the defence apply for a 'half time' application, where they apply for the matter to be halted after the prosecution have provided their evidence?

Why didn't the defence go down other routes of discontinuance?

If the case was so weak, why did the judge allow the jury to make a decision?

It would appear the threshold tests were met.
Then it looks as though the tests are unfit for purpose or were not applied with sufficient wisdom in this particular case.

anonymous-user

53 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
quotequote all
That still doesn't address the key questions in court, does it?

If the case were so weak why didn't the defence try to have the trial discontinued / halted?

If we're reading into things with wholly incomplete information, the absence applications (or their success) such suggests there were a case to answer.


turbobloke

103,742 posts

259 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
quotequote all
La Liga said:
That still doesn't address the key questions in court, does it?

If the case were so weak why didn't the defence try to have the trial discontinued / halted?
IANAL and you'd need to ask them. Experience perhaps?

Within the victim industry it all goes as far as it can.

La Liga said:
If we're reading into things with wholly incomplete information, the absence applications (or their success) such suggests there were a case to answer.
When it comes to things like this, laboriously and nechanically following some process is never a guarantee of a quality outcome. And by that I don't mean the verdict...as it can hardly be said that justice has been done with the male's name trashed and the woman remaining anonymous for p-c reasons only.

PurpleMoonlight

Original Poster:

22,362 posts

156 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
quotequote all
La Liga said:
That still doesn't address the key questions in court, does it?

If the case were so weak why didn't the defence try to have the trial discontinued / halted?

If we're reading into things with wholly incomplete information, the absence applications (or their success) such suggests there were a case to answer.
Maybe they did.

But they aren't required to supply the prosecution with their defence evidence before it is presented in court, are they?

dudleybloke

19,717 posts

185 months

Sunday 7th February 2016
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Any idea when she will be arrested for wasting police time or pcoj or something?