A false sexual assault accusation is simply traumatizing – a nightmare scenario for which you can never prepare enough. Unfortunately, many circumstances can lead up to this devastating scenario: consensual sex that is mischaracterized as an assault, mistaken identity or malicious intent on the part of your accuser.
If you have been falsely accused of sexual assault, you need to start figuring out how to defend yourself and safeguard your rights. Unfortunately, defending yourself against a false sexual assault accusation is never easy.
Here are important things you need to do as soon as you learn of the accusation against you.
Avoid making contact with your accuser
It is tempting to want to reach out to your accuser to vent your frustrations or try to talk them into dropping the charges. You shouldn’t do this. Reaching out to your accuser may be treated as tampering with a witness, which can worsen an already bad situation.
Besides, if your accuser has malicious intent, they may make false claims that you are trying to intimidate them into dropping the charges. By all means, avoid reaching out to your accuser either in person or through a proxy. Also, avoid talking about your case either with friends or on social media. Remember, anything you say or write concerning the case can and will be used against you during the trial.
Keep your emotions under control
It is understandable that you may be frustrated and angered if you are falsely accused of a crime that you have not committed. However, you must keep your emotions in check. This is not the time to vent or talk about your accuser in a bad light. Rather, this is the time to keep your cool.
If you have been falsely accused of sexual assault, it is important that you treat the allegations with the seriousness they deserve. Even if you feel the claims are ill-founded, the consequences of a guilty verdict can have a lasting impact on your life.
