I love this sub and seeing this post has lead me to my need to vent. I work in the legal field and have a "client" who is going thru this right now. Dude is a stand up guy who worked closely with teenagers. A 15 year old girl told a friend thru text that she was going to bang my client. Long story short, she told several incredibly outlandish lies to said friend such as client had gotten her pregnant and she had an abortion and a few weeks later she was pregnant again and miscarried. The friend held on to the text messages until a fallout between the friends when she decided to show said text messages to clients boss who is legally obligated to report them to authorities. Client was placed on paid leave and his electronics were seized by police in an investigation. Client was arrested a week later, charged with 9 felonies including 3 counts of statutory rape and a charge of electronic solicitation among other dubious sex charges It was in every local newspaper and on every local news broadcast. Client loses job and is sent to jail. A few months after his incarceration (has not been to trial at this point) my services were procured. I was given the discovery packet (prosecution's evidence) and see just how royally this guy had been screwed. There was no DNA, no hard or physical evidence, no medical records that collaborated previous statements. In fact, the state had indicted this man on easily disproved claims and a series of text messages that were supposedly between client and "victim". The text messages obviously had a number so I called. It was the clients side chick... He had been having an affair. The investigator had never called the number but bc he had side chick's name saved as something like "queen" or some shit he assumed it was this teenage girl. Or at least that's what I'm guessing bc the alternative is the investigator just don't care and ruined a man's life on purpose. To top it all off, the date the supposed event occured, client was not even in the same state. Literally on camera 200 miles away. There are also several other really technical details that prove his innocence.
I was hired after clients preliminary so before I started I assumed he was guilty based on what the papers reported and what the DA said. It took me 2 days of really easy investigative work to completely change my mind. I'm aware that I may be biased bc dude hired me but... I've never seen a more obvious case where I was sure that my client was innocent. Also never saw an easier, more open and shut case. So here's the kicker:
Client spent a year in jail before being allowed out on bond (DA kept bond so high he couldn't make it). Client lost his job and retirement. He has been in the same local paper 15 times, completely saturating the potential jury pool. Trial date still has not been set. Client currently has no job, no money, no where to live (sleeping on friends couch) and is going thru a divorce. Dude has a masters degree and is seriously one of the nicest guys Ive ever met. A few weeks ago he called his friend home from work to sit with him bc he was afraid he would kill himself. Oh, hes also a veteran and served a few tours in Afghanistan.
Long story short: innocent man's life ruined by false stat rape claim.