has your opinion of the justice system changed?

[Rights Fighter]

Let's not forget all the hard work done in the background by the solicitor..... that often does not get a mention. Solicitor Gerry prepared the proofs of evidence, interviewed witnesses and prepared their statements, Defence Cases Statements, and dealing with letters back and forth to CPS, meetings with clients etc.

Without all of that Nerida would not have been able to do much at all.

Most solicitors work their socks of in the background and rarely get a thank you - so here's mine! Massive thanks to you Gerry, and other good defence solicitors who are all too often the unsung heroes......

[scaredsister]

Yes she does! We all agreed that we were so lucky and so glad to have her on our side (and almost.. almost.. felt sorry for the FA having to be up against her!). She did mention that she was trying to move away from these cases however said it is hard once you have gained a reputation as being successful in certain areas. She also said she struggled with the pressure of having an innocent man's freedom on her shoulders - that says a lot about this situation I think!

As an aside I think it ought to be noted that this past year rape charges have gone up 30% (not sure if that is only in our County or nationwide - I'm desperately trying to find the source now, will post later) however conviction rates have dropped significantly - this surely must be because police are bowing to pubic and media pressure "that no woman would lie about rape" rather than doing a proper investigation to determine validity of claims.

[Rights Fighter]

She's wonderful. Has she still got a lions mane for hair? You were lucky to get her, as I understand she had stopped doing these cases due to the stress of them.....

[scaredsister]

Was this the case With Gerry McDonald and barrister Nerida?

Yes it was! we were utterly in awe of Nerida - particularly during her summing up!xx

[Rights Fighter]

...............My brother got a not guilty verdict yesterday........

Was this the case With Gerry McDonald and barrister Nerida?

[scaredsister]

What kind of scrutiny is a "victim/witness" subject to prior to a decision about charginG. Sorry I'm going off topic but a few things that prove my accusers dis
honest nature have just sprung to mind. E.g my accuser claimed to have miscarried which I later found to be false, would that be looked into by way of medical records.

Hello! This is absolutely valid!! My brother got a not guilty verdict yesterday. Our wonderful barrister managed to get her medical records an hour before she had to cross examine the FA and we found out that she had lied about attempting suicide and self harming (to her own doctor no less) which the FA was forced to admit to in court - as well as lying all over facebook about a "near fatal car accident" which the police woman involved in the case established had never happened.

One thing that had frustrated us all throughout this whole drama was people saying 'it's a matter of consent' however our barrister put it to the jury that this girl is a compulsive liar and attention seeker, who fabricated a completely different version of events. If worried that this may come across a bit harsh you should know that the jury clearly accepted that this was the case in the allegation against my brother. They smiled up and cheered for him after the not guilty verdict.

It must be added that this was along side other evidence (including photographs, witnesses etc).

Good luck to everyone caught up in a false allegation at the moment, it gets better!!!! Xx

[edinashed]

It's not obviously the Samaritans. It could have been Lucy Faithfull organisation as I know a couple of people who were handed a leaflet about them. Google it.

No it was the Samaritans. As well as a few others.

[edinashed]

Changethelaw is entitled to give her view without you correcting her. She was speaking from her own point of view, regardless.

Personally I would go for prosecuting the accuser if found to be lying and with a mental health problem. A complainant with such a problem may well be referred for treatment by the judge, either in prison or outside of prison, so could help them.

I'm going through the same as everybody in the falsely accused forums and it is torture for me. Still, I wouldn't want to see any family deprived of a parent, especially a single parent family. Again, we're all entitled to our own opinions. In my case the woman should have had help in the community in the first place.

I didn't find out about her mh problems until 2 months into a 3 month casual, albeit quite intense, relationship.

[Rights Fighter]

Apparently they can get it even if no charges are brought. Other posters know more about this, but it's somewhere around £30k.

There is no fixed amount per se. People who accuse somebody who is then NFA'd can sometimes get anything from £1K to £42K+ depending on the allegations and effect of the alleged assaults..... depending on the circumstances, not all get a payout after NFA

[Rights Fighter]

My FA was detained in a mental hospital after doing something very extreme when he made the allegations - this doesn't lessen the impact on me nor does it lessen the appalling distress to my family if I'm charged. And if I'm NFA'd (which I really, really hope will happen) he'll presumably still be entitled to his compensation money and there will be no deterrent to him making more allegations about me or others in the future next time he wants attention, money or to justify whatever he's done to end up being sectioned.

He doesn't have kids, however someone who does have kids and is feckless and immoral enough to make a false allegation of a sex crime against someone is surely in some way or another a danger to those kids and the worst possible role model in any case.

Excellent point!

[Rights Fighter]

That wasn't the scenario I suggested. The scenario I suggested was a single mother with mental health issues making a FA which was found to be untrue.

Changethelaw is entitled to give her view without you correcting her. She was speaking from her own point of view, regardless.

Personally I would go for prosecuting the accuser if found to be lying and with a mental health problem. A complainant with such a problem may well be referred for treatment by the judge, either in prison or outside of prison, so could help them.

[Rights Fighter]

The samarifans obviously, I'll see if I can find the hand out, give me a few minutes.

It's not obviously the Samaritans. It could have been Lucy Faithfull organisation as I know a couple of people who were handed a leaflet about them. Google it.

[edinashed]

Given my accuser is in much debt I think I may mention this to my legal team. Of course it depends on whether they are allowed to look at this kind of information and use it as evidence, along with her history of other deceit.

[changethelaw]

Taken this from www.rape crisis. org website
There is a scheme from the government for anyone who has suffered physical or mental injury as a result of a criminal offence.

Everyone has the right to apply although not everyone is awarded a payment. Time limits, whether you reported the assault, long term effects, and the circumstances of your case are all contributing factors to how a decision to pay compensation to a victim will be made.

Publicity was given in 2008 to a number of cases where some women who had been raped had their compensation reduced by 25 per cent because they had been drinking. In the recently published Stern Review, they note the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority's current policy that applicants ‘who suffer a sexual assault while under the influence of drugs or alcohol will be eligible for a full award, if all other eligibility criteria are satisfied'. http://www.equalities.gov.uk/PDF/Ste..._acc_FINAL.pdf

Compensation can sometimes be awarded even if the abuser was not successfully prosecuted. Monetary compensation cannot undo the effects of rape and sexual assault, however it can be viewed as a form of justice and a way of society acknowledging what happened - whether the abuser is punished or not.

Shocking in my opinion. Goes some way towards explaining why so many women falsely accuse..... (I know not everyone who falsely accuses is for this reason but...)

[changethelaw]

Taken this from www.rape crisis.org website -
HOMEABOUT USNEWSRESOURCESVOLUNTEERINGSUPPORT USCONTACT
information
RAPE & SEXUAL VIOLENCE
CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE
GETTING HELP
REPORTING RAPE
Police procedure
Reporting rape abroad
Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs)
Compensation
GIVING SUPPORT
COUNSELLING
MYTHS & REALITIES
STUDENT INFORMATION
RAPE CRISIS NATIONAL SERVICE STANDARDS
Rape Crisis London
Rape Crisis Scotland
Rape Crisis Network Ireland
Rape Crisis Network Europe
reporting rape -> Compensation
criminal injuries compensation
There is a scheme from the government for anyone who has suffered physical or mental injury as a result of a criminal offence.

Everyone has the right to apply although not everyone is awarded a payment. Time limits, whether you reported the assault, long term effects, and the circumstances of your case are all contributing factors to how a decision to pay compensation to a victim will be made.

Publicity was given in 2008 to a number of cases where some women who had been raped had their compensation reduced by 25 per cent because they had been drinking. In the recently published Stern Review, they note the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority's current policy that applicants ‘who suffer a sexual assault while under the influence of drugs or alcohol will be eligible for a full award, if all other eligibility criteria are satisfied'. http://www.equalities.gov.uk/PDF/Ste..._acc_FINAL.pdf

Compensation can sometimes be awarded even if the abuser was not successfully prosecuted. Monetary compensation cannot undo the effects of rape and sexual assault, however it can be viewed as a form of justice and a way of society acknowledging what happened - whether the abuser is punished or not.

Shocking in my opinion. Goes some way towards explaining why so many women falsely accuse..... (I know not everyone who falsely accuses is for this reason but...)