“The morning after my son’s 18th birthday he was charged with rape,” one mother, Erin, reports. Sexual assault allegations against males are easy to make … and all too often damage the reputation of the accused, even if those who are innocent are lucky enough to avoid a guilty verdict. Mothers Of Sons is there to help – with advice and support.
A few days ago, the Chief Justice of the ACT, Lucy McCallum, was quoted saying “there’s an intractable problem in that our overriding task and function is to ensure an accused person has a fair trial”; ‘intractable’, eh?, as if the presumption of innocence was a problem in the way of getting convictions. She said that the unfortunate message for sexual assault complainants – given the presumption of innocence afforded to an accused person – is that “We are entitled to think you might be lying until you prove that you’re not. That’s not quite how the system works but that’s the messaging,” she said. That is nonsense. a complainant does not have to prove they are telling the truth. They are not a party to a criminal action. They are a witness giving evidence, as in any other trial. It is up to a prosecution to prove that a witness claiming they were raped is telling the truth.
Mothers Of Sons is an organisation keenly attuned to that sentiment through the experiences of those who share their stories.
The organisation describes itself as “a group of ordinary women whose sons have faced extraordinary ordeals in our unjust, anti-male legal systems and workplaces.
“Our sons have fought mighty battles for justice in family, magistrates and other criminal courts that no longer offer men fair treatment.
“Women need no evidence to make accusations of violence or sexual abuse that deprive men of their children, their homes, careers, and futures.
“Some of us have spent our life savings protecting sons from false sexual assault allegations, paying a huge mental and financial toll to prove the charges had no substance.”
Sadly, Erin’s story of an unscrupulous young woman’s claim against her son, Toby (not his real name) is not unique. This is an edited version of what has been published on the Mothers Of Sons website:
“Toby” had had a big night out on the town, ending up extremely intoxicated after everyone was buying him drinks for his birthday. He awoke on the couch in a stranger’s house, fully clothed, with no idea what had happened the night before.
Next thing the police were at our home, asking to speak to Toby. They asked me to leave to question him. Agreeing to this was my first big mistake. My son was happy to talk to them because he didn’t think anything was wrong.
By the following day I was visiting Toby in jail after he was charged in relation to an alleged rape of a young woman, a female he had gone to school with and thought of as a friend. Bail had been denied by a local judge, apparently due to the father of the girl making death threats against my son. Rather than lock up this man, they put Toby in prison – allegedly for his own safety!
Toby was transferred to a maximum-security prison where he was held for 7 days whilst we applied to the Supreme court for bail. “So is your cock sore from banging her?” asked one of the detectives during Toby’s first interview.
We are ordinary people, with no training in investigation of crimes, or any kind of legal research. Yet there seemed to be so many aspects of the evidence that were given credibility where there was none, and others that were being ignored.
Despite forwarding us witness statements which didn’t collaborate the complainant’s story, the police took no notice of the many inconsistencies. It took us eight months to receive the DNA evidence which showed Toby’s DNA was not present in or on the alleged victim, only on the end of the bed cover. But present in her vagina was DNA from two other males. It was impossible for my son to have had unprotected, non-consensual penetrative intercourse with the alleged victim, as claimed.
Then there was her phone log, with over 12,000 text messages, proving she was having a lengthy phone conversation and subject text messages when she was apparently being raped, as well as other SMS conversations disproving other allegations she had made. It turned out also that she had made similar accusations against other males to cover up the fact she was cheating on her boyfriend. Yet none of this raised alarm bells within our supposed justice system.
We didn’t understand why the system seemed to be designed to make our son look guilty rather than assuming his innocence and proving guilt. This took such an enormous toll on us, financially and emotionally. I had to leave my job to simply manage the thinking work of going through the evidence files. It consumed me day and night.
The trial ran for a full week, evidence was heard, witnesses were cross examined. As it progressed revealing the text messages and DNA evidence, the accuser’s lies started to unravel.
After what seemed an eternity when the jury went to deliberate, the huge relief of NOT GUILTY was read out in the court on all charges. When my boy finally got to me, it was the best hug that we have shared ever! To our utter amazement, as we walked outside the courthouse the jury members were waiting with applause and congratulation. They shook Toby’s hand, gave him hugs and wished him well. Wow, what an outcome and we couldn’t have wished for a better ending.
Never before had the court seen such a reaction to a not guilty verdict. This came after a 16-month ordeal that cost my son more than $50,000 and nearly cost our family its sanity as we battled to wade through the sheer magnitude of the lies from the accused and the incompetence of the investigating police who seemed all too eager to believe a mischievous and promiscuous young woman’s tale of sexual assault even when presented with significant evidence to the contrary.
We returned to our small community and approached the local police station to make a complaint in regards to this girl’s vicious lies. The officer in charge of the station was not interested at all, telling us to, ‘Go away, you received a not guilty verdict. Be happy with that’.
Complaints to the Crime and Corruption Commission and Police Integrity Unit about the conduct of the incompetent initial investigation fell on deaf ears. The detective in question actually called me and stated he couldn’t believe how he had been manipulated by the alleged victim. Why tell me this and still fail to hold her accountable?
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Bettina Arndt AM
“What I think is important is the information we have posted on our website from the mothers giving advice to other families about what to do if their sons face false allegations. Why no one should ever agree to an interview with the police without a lawyer present. How to find a decent lawyer. How to deal with a violence order etc etc,” comments Bettina Arndt, a longtime defender of men’s rights.
“And most importantly, we have put together a huge amount of research on the latest weapon being prepared to attack men – coercive control. Here we have a new form of “domestic violence” which was made up by a feminist academic specifically to enable men to be more easily targeted and sent to jail. Lawyers across Australia are awaiting the tsunami of work that awaits them when these laws start being rolled out soon. It will be a nightmare. Here’s a pattern of behaviour that everyone knows involves female as well as male perpetrators yet our police are being trained to only target men.”
Restoring the Presumption of Innocence Conference, organised by Bettina Arndt and hosted by the Australians for Science and Freedom and sponsored by Mothers of Sons, is scheduled for August 31, 2024 at a venue TBA in Rushcutters Bay, Sydney.
“Freedom is just another word for nothin’ left to lose” (From “Me and Bobby Magee”)
…Except.
Great song, but it will hopefully resonate for many who did not grow up with it and maybe with whatever challenges they meet: Drugs bad; no freedom there.
Back in those “good old days” I do remember being at Sunbury in Victoria (late’60’s) singing along with the great overseas and local artists and after their singing, jumping into creeks with all and sundry, without a cop in sight or a criminal assault recorded.
We grew up. Joplin died, Dylan lived, Hendrix lived, for a time.
Now we deal with Family Court, Solicitors, adversarial folk and yearn for the days of being sunburnt at Sunbury.
I have spoken to Bettina about my case .i was so frantic to let her know of the injustice, that I drive her nuts for some months with extremely certain information , that I had not offended in any way. Bettina could not take up my story because there are so many. Where to start? Andrew Urban has read my petition to AG and the police brief that was used to prosecute me. He called it a perfect storm of errors , intentional distortions, abuse of power etc etc etc . Yet here I am 13 years later with , apparently no legal recourse. A public show would reignite all the terrible repercussions of sexual impropriety. There were 70 pages in my petition , of faults , impossibilities and lies. Each anomaly has forensic support . In essence though I offended by coming from a room that didn’t exist and at a time when my accuser was not in my home. Should be enough ? But no. Andrew explained in previous articles that a judge said at appeal ‘ the evidence of the plaintiff was inconsistent and implausible but refused the appeal. Mystery ? No ! Perversion if the course of Justice. By police and DPP …..pv
Can anyone imagine, a young mother having an experience any more nightmarish ? Your lovely baby girl gets snatched / carried off / then eaten by a scavenging DOG ! But wait- there’s more .
Then along comes the gun packing boofheads . You know the type ! The total package . The well documented international provider of flexible forensics ! He has a known reputation for supplying his scurrilous police masters with a jury fooling load of dog poo . (the Colin Manock family of the despicabe morons) ! This excuse (cop out) that these providers of justice develop “tunnel vision” is total rubbish from the second rate appologists ! Tunnel vision doesn’t mean that even a halfwit can’t see the elephant standing on the tracks . If that is the case – they have no place in a court room .(and they dont) Appeals court members should consist of ordinary decent common sense citizens publicly listed . Completely free and obliged to explain their verdicts. Judges can’t be trusted with the delivery of justice . Read for yourself – the decisions of these geniuses – keeping Derek Bromley in prison for 40 years. Ordinary French Police rounded up (one day) 3000 little French children with a free ticket to Auschwitz. Ordinary Australian police got Ray Bailey hanging on a rope – no appology . A shameful death sentence for Darryl Beamish. The guilty verdict for that nice grandmother SueNeil-Fraser- is an absolutely disgraceful abuse by a gang of horrible monkeys . Toby and his family should be fully compensated (at least in money spent) and full public apology for the behaviour of the low life police. The deliberate ignoring and failure to except the truth is totally as expected from professional Liars. Doing Over the innocent gives that inner glow – the feeling of power- the gun on hip cowboy morons- including the judge and dpp obviously all scurrilously power drunk . There are said to be nine types of IQ.
9 PhDs at the murdering Wansee Conference. So-obviously a cock roach can pass a law exam .
Well may you ask Heinrich “What the hell is wrong with them”. ‘Power my friend, power and too much more unfettered power”. Unaccountable idiots who set out to not only brandish their reputable colleagues efforts to genuinely protect us and the same goes to those in the legal fraternity who do the same. They should more often be brought to account, especially after the findings of an Enquiry that clearly points out the extremes these wrongdoers have gone too in covering up or simply abusing their trustworthy powers.
Just think about this. Why is it taking so long to act on providing a CCRC if this is only an extra means to investigating the inevitable.
No it’s not the answer but by hell it’s surely a preventative measure to look deeper into what appears to be a mindset of power crazed people who somehow or other believe their ‘authority’ is above the laws of the land.
I am always reminded of the words attributed to utilitarian philosopher John Stuart Mill “Let not any one pacify his conscience by the delusion that he can do no harm if he takes no part, and forms no opinion. Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing”. A great quote I found looking for Edmund Burke.
There are reasons persons become police……..some want to do good for society……others want the control. Psychiatric assessments before employment of those wishing to go into this field should be mandatory.
Just shows what a sham our “Justice System “is, that police are biased and presume somone is guilty of rape without a shred of evidence. Good on you , Bettina !
Just another example of-and proof ( as if we need more) that having a police gang is a “necessary evil” ! The police thought they were going to have for themselves the smug satisfaction of doing over an innocent. The jury wasn’t stacked – or the other jurypersons ignored the stackee. (happens) “The police took no notice of the many inconsistencies”. That Megan Vass was a bloody nuisance . The police person hiding the DNA blue cloth helped and a judge Blow and dpp types were obviously ignored by the Toby jury. Toby had a lucky escape from the mongrels . Took them 30 years to admit (but not apologise) to Lindy Chamberlain or Michael. Police detectives were heard saying “the bitch got away with it “. If Toby was in prison in South Australia- he’d be there for 40 years . Rejoicing from the police ranks. Was their any appology for Toby from the police gang ? However- watch out- they (police) are quite famous for having a second go.! Graham Stafford with vomitious DNA. Readers of WCR would be well aware of police planting/ removing and fabricating DNA evidence, even in rape and murder cases . Scott Austic in Western Australia. Sometimes so ludicrous that the prosecution withdraws that evidence – but carries on with attempting a guilty verdict. Judges usually don’t admonish police prosecutors for this behaviour – must regard this attempted fraud as just a bit of fun ? (or must regard this police fabricating as acceptable) – Judge Blow and Sue Neil-Fraser debacle springs to mind .What the hell is wrong with them ?