Just in case anybody out there thought perjury was ever a crime not pursuing, a case out of Britain is serving as a great reminder of how much damage lies can cause — especially when the lies happen under oath.
Just in case anybody out there thought perjury was ever a crime not pursuing, a case out of Britain is serving as a great reminder of how much damage lies can cause — especially when the lies happen under oath.
As the BBC reported, Beale claimed she had been raped by nine men and sexually assaulted by six others in four separate events over a period of three years.
Her claims had serious consequences.
Cassim was tried twice over the claim, convicted, and sentenced to seven years in prison, serving two years and nine months. At the time, Beale was awarded £11,000 (about $14,000 U.S.) in compensation.
However, an investigation turned up CCTV footage showing her attacking the man she accused before walking home alone, The Sun reported.
She had injuries, but forensic tests showed that she had used a hanging flower basket to injure herself, making it look like she had been assaulted with barbed wire.
At the time, they were investigating one of Beale other false claims. Looking back at all the claims she had made, they discovered similarities between her complaints that raised their suspicions that she had been lying all along.
Cassim's conviction was eventually overturned in 2015.
As SurreyLive reported, Beale went so far as to accuse four medical professionals of providing inaccurate evidence in court rather than admit she had made it all up.
Police spent 6,500 hours investigating her claims, according to The Sun, and in addition to the £11,000 in compensation Beale received, British taxpayers were on the hook for £250,000 for the investigation, £110,000 for the trial, £150,000 for Cassim's trial, and £120,000 for Cassim's jail time.
"This trial has revealed, what was then not obvious, that you are a very, very convincing liar and you enjoy being seen as a victim," he said. "Cases such as this bring a real risk that a woman who has been raped or sexually assaulted does not complain to the police for fear of not being believed. False allegations are likely to have the perverse impact of increasing the likelihood of guilty men going free."
She also argued that her defense was compromised by intense media scrutiny. However, her appeal was rejected.
In a statement, Lady Justice Hallett said "The system of justice has suffered considerable harm - considerable resources have been spent investigating and prosecuting crimes which never happened. There has been no indication of remorse on the appellant's part."