
This article, written by Louise Turner, Senior Consultant CILEX Lawyer at Setfords, discusses the concept of false allegations, what they can mean for you, and what you can do to address them with the help of a false allegations expert.
What can false allegations look like?
Imagine you are at a work summer drinks party and you have a pleasant evening, although you’ve enjoyed a few too many drinks and your memory of events is a little hazy. At work, you have recently applied for a promotion that a female work colleague also applied for. You got the job and there is some bad feeling between the parties.
At the summer drinks party, you recall you might have mentioned your promotion to a few colleagues. On your way out of the venue towards the close of the event, the female work colleague approaches you and you walk part of the way home together. There is a verbal exchange, but that is all.
The following day at work, you are immediately called into your managers office. They tell you that an allegation has been made against you of a sexual nature by the female work colleague you walked part of the way home with – alone.
It’s in this moment you realise that a false allegation has been made against you and you feel very vulnerable. Will your manager believe that nothing happened? Should you have walked home alone with the female colleague who was disgruntled with you? What will your wife say when you tell her? Who can you confide in? What should or shouldn’t you say? Will the police be called? Will you be arrested? Will you lose your job?
There will be lots of questions and concerns spinning around in your mind and you will no doubt feel in a state of complete panic.
This is a made-up story; however it bears resemblance in parts to the types of cases I deal with on a daily basis as a false allegation expert.
What to do when facing false allegations
It is vital that you seek urgent expert legal advice when a serious false allegation is made against you by an individual or an organisation. False allegations undermine trust and can have long lasting and catastrophic consequences to a person’s life. It is crucial to address and resolve them with care and diligence.
For an individual accused of a serious false allegation, their reputation, both personally and professionally, can be damaged. They can also suffer emotional and psychological distress, be exposed financially, be at risk of losing their employment, and face severe legal penalties if found guilty of a criminal offence based on false evidence.
If a false allegation is made against you, it is important not to ‘wait and see what happens’. It is much more difficult to defend a false allegation after the event, for example once you have given your account to your employer or the police. It is vital that we take proactive steps to ensure that your account of events is taken at the earliest opportunity whilst your memory of events is at its best, and that we secure any evidence that will assist in proving the allegation is false.
Contact a false allegation expert
If you would like to speak with a false allegation expert, I offer a free 15 minute telephone conversation to all prospective clients. If nothing else, I would hope our call would help to put your mind at ease. All calls are of course completely confidential.