Since the launch of wronglyaccusedperson.org.uk a mere 2 months ago, the constantly growing positive interest has highlighted a number of key issues which could affect a wrongly accused person and their families following their release.
One major impact which has been identified is the perceptions of the public of an accused person regardless of the circumstances which surround the allegation and the damage it causes to innocent people even if no charges were brought.
In many cases the effects of ill-informed members of the public on the accused and their families can never truly be quantified however there are cases that go a considerable way in doing so. Such as a case whereby a malicious allegation made against a man by a group of convicted drug dealers involved with an array of other criminal activities led to him being severely assaulted. Other people readily accepted the validity of the accusations against someone of good character and no convictions regardless of the characters and motives of the individuals who made them. However the physical assault though severe is not the full extent of the harm caused. As a result this innocent person along with his family feels compelled to relocate and start again elsewhere for their own safety. Therefore his children and wife become directly affected as with any extended family in the area when contact becomes limited as a result of distance which would not otherwise exist all of whom become deprived of normal family ties. This is an example of the public’s willingness to believe, react and affect innocent people on the basis of hate speak by the most incredible of sources.
I remember several years ago an advert on TV for the post office portraying it as a hub of local information. Animated characters of two women having a conversation which was ridiculous and unbelievable when heard in its entirety however there was a more relevant issue which was also well demonstrated. That was this conversations effect when overheard by a person in the background whose ears perked up at the juicy bits while for the remainder of the time he continued about his business paying little heed. This is an example, all be it in animated format, of what actually occurs every day in society. Someone takes part in small talk with someone else in a shop or post office for example, another overhears bits who then passes on the “juicy gossip” who then thinks it is so important and obviously true because the heard it from a “reliable source” that they then proceed to tell everyone else who does the same. Before you know it, a wrongly accused person has their life ruined along with the other innocent people they know such as children and other family members. No form of gossip is ever reliable and the only thing society can ever hope to achieve by participating in it is harm, upset and long term suffering to those who least deserve it.
So where should the public seek to find reliable and honest information? One would expect that we could turn to those in a position of trust but both experience and evidence shows otherwise. These are often people who flagrantly breach codes of conduct to achieve an objective. An accused person is legally restricted on what information he/she is allowed to discuss and with whom, so too are those in an official position who are seen to be reliable but who in reality divulge what they want to affect their own aims. Often information resulting from any such person will be tainted with enough
of the truth to appear credible but in reality be both misleading and inaccurate which logic dictates can only have one motive, present the “impression” of known guilt to those who will as a result react and testify favourably in any resulting trial. In doing so these people use the vulnerable as puppets in a dangerous game with innocent people’s lives, breach just about every code of conduct in place to prevent just that and then merrily go on their way leaving nothing but carnage behind them. This is an example of something here at the site we will be working very hard on bringing into force penalties on those responsible who in doing so “legitimately” pervert the course of justice each and every day. Thankfully there is a growing amount of evidence to prove this point so I am confident that in time our objectives can be achieved both as individuals and collectively as a society. However in doing so it is necessary to address those ultimately responsible for allowing it while purportedly acting in positions with a responsibility to prevent it, to that end we have begun a petition to hold those responsible to account.
By deduction that leaves the family of those involved who ordinarily would be seen potentially as the most reliable of sources. However if you consider the full implications of the scenario above, you will begin to recognise that these are the people used as puppets, who have the most emotional and understandable of reasons to harbour a grudge as a result of the portrayal of pie in the sky theories in a method which implies them to be fact . The more serious the accusation the more extremely and offensively this grudge will present itself and the more extensive the harm cause by those who perpetuate it.
In short if you want the truth, ask your cat, dog or at a long shot the accused person’s defence solicitor who will be legally obliged not to tell you anything so by consequence won’t lie.
