Woman should be jailed rather than fined for false allegation of rape

For the second time in the past few months we have seen a guilty party in a rape/sexual assault case having a jail sentence suspended on condition that they pay a sum of money in compensation.

This has prompted calls for the DPP to appeal against the leniency of the sentence and the introduction of statutory guidelines on sentencing in such cases.

The people making such calls may have a valid case but they would have more credibility if they weren’t so selective and so sexist. Some months ago in a case involving alleged rape, a fine of €1,000 was imposed on the self-confessed guilty party with no mention of a prison sentence, suspended or otherwise. There was no outcry from the media or anyone else about this ridiculously lenient penalty which trivialises rape even more than the other two cases. The reason being the guilty party was not the man who was accused, but the woman, who admitted making a false allegation. According to reports she claimed that her friends encouraged her to do so.

When imposing the fine the judge remarked that if she had succeeded with her false accusation, the innocent man would probably have been given a six year jail sentence. In these circumstances the only appropriate penalty for this woman should have been a six year jail term and not the meagre €1,000 fine imposed on her.

If ever there was a case that should have been appealed by the DPP this is it. There is merit in calls for statutory guidelines in rape and sexual assault cases. Such guidelines should include penalties for false accusations which should be at least as severe as the sentences for the crime itself.

Matt Harper

Clones Rd

Monaghan