While callow and haughty college women all over America transmogrify a day synonymous with male-female love into a “consciousness-raising” day about how men allegedly assault women, it is well to do a reality check.
This Valentine's Day, untold numbers of innocent men and boys, certainly numbering in the thousands, rot in jail cells for sex crimes they did not commit. Scared, hopeless, often abused behind bars, most of the males serving time landed there following allegations made by women or girls they knew; in many cases, the false accuser and her victim had been intimate.
So, while young couples dance in Cupid's garden to the music of true love on this most romantic of days, it is well to remember that one false rape story after the next involves couples who also once danced there.
Here's a Valentine's Day story that isn't exactly a Hallmark moment. Sally Henderson met her husband, Richard Cooke, a lorry driver, through an internet dating agency in October 2003. The couple married on, of all romantic days, Valentine's Day 2004. Mr Cooke financially supported Henderson while obtained her college degree.
But, alas, Mr. Cooke suffered injuries in a car accident that made his performance in the bedroom less than Henderson desired. He was quote in the Daily Mail: "Because of the problems I was having, I was unable to fulfil my wife. She had a very healthy sexual appetite."She became increasingly unhappy with him, and the marriage deteriorated. Mr Cooke eventually left.
It was only then that Henderson reported that Cooke rape her -- not just once, but repeatedly during their year-long marriage. Three or four police officers came to arrest Mr. Cooke, manhandling him for good measure. He was taken to the police station and held in a cell for 36 hours.
But, fortunately, the police discovered a curious thing: Henderson's claims were almost identical to false allegations she had made five years earlier against a previous boyfriend. Henderson also made the previous claim after the boyfriend left her her. (Mr. Cooke was fortunate that police discovered the prior offense because, until then, Henderson had been anonymous and there was little chance the prior boyfriend would have heard about Henderson's later claim.)
Henderson was convicted of perverting the course of justice, and was given a one-year sentence.
Perhaps if young men keep in mind that many a happy Valentine's Day later devolved into a nightmarish false rape claim, they will take measures to reduce the chances of that happening to them. Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!
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11 comments:
A great counter-punch to V-Day.
I love it!
"But, fortunately, the police discovered a curious thing: Henderson's claims were almost identical to false allegations she had made five years earlier against a previous boyfriend."
On a positive note, this points out something quite heartening to me (no V-Day pun intended). It shows that the police took the time to check into Sally Henderson.
This would appear to be a part of something that is relatively new – investigating the accusers. It’s happening more and more, and for all manners of crimes reported. It’s happening away from the public eye, which is actually a very good thing, otherwise victims advocates (especially, if not specifically, “Women’s Advocates”) would be screaming about the perceived injustice of investigating the victim’s too.
Now, of course, such undertakings were not begun with the idea of exonerating suspects, but rather with the intent of determining what possible “evidence” defense counsel might acquire from an alleging victims (public domain) social networking, and even by court-ordered phone/text records. I would also assume that they would also review their records for any other “activity” involving the accuser (likely looking to make sure that the accusers own criminal record doesn’t come back to “bite them in the ass” later on). I’d guess that this is how they discovered Henderson’s previous allegations.
I get to hear about just a few of the things that investigators do find out about the “victims”, but they have been rather surprised by some of the things that people willing commit to the public domain, including one woman who bragged to friends about getting her “target” into serious trouble by fabricating a rape claim against him, and an under-aged girl who told friends she was looking for older men to have sex with in exchange for alcohol.
Recently, another FRA which did not make the news, but was discovered in a similar way this past December involved a 17-year old girl who’s mother discovered that she had been having sex with an older man. The girls had responded to the discovery in a very predictable way – she claimed that he had lured her to his house and raped her (her mother, naturally, drug her down to the PD where she repeated her claim as a formal complaint).
However, it was discovered via an investigation of her social networking activities that not only had she been having repeated sexual encounters with the accused, but that she had even arranged for her friend, another 17-year old girl to also have sex with him (she had, in essence, served as a “madam” in prostituting her friend, although the “recompense” was non-monetary in nature). [Okay, I do get to brag on her a little here, because my wife was the prosecutor who dismissed that case.]
The bigger story is that police and prosecutors are beginning to take a more serious look at those who are alleged victims. It’s somewhat similar to the use of video surveillance recordings in that they are not intended to provide alibi’s for, nor to provide exoneration for the suspects, but, they often do just that. Despite the obvious “Big Brother” overtones, and the nefarious possibilities thus inherent, high tech is proving time and time again to be much more “male-friendly” than anyone realized it would be.
slw, thanks for your insight.
My guess is that police view every single rape claim with a jaundiced eye, in light of how many liars they confront. That doesn't mean they don't do their jobs, but I think they know what to look for in these cases.
Off topic, but I just wanted to say
Happy Marc Rudov Day All!!!
"Wikipedia Is Male-Dominated. That Doesn't Mean It's Sexist.
Why the New York Times and feminists should stop hyperventilating about the Web site's gender gap.
By Heather Mac Donald"
http://www.slate.com/id/2284501/pagenum/all/#add-comment
Hey, being the victim of a False Rape Accusation is "male dominated"... does that make us falsely accused sexist too???
Happy Marc Rudov day folks!!
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