Unfortunately here in Britain we had a big run of trials that collapsed when it was revealed the accusations were false, nevertheless irrevocably ruining the defendants’ reputations. This sort of prosecutorial incompetence serves to muddy the waters and lead genuine victims to doubt themselves, and well-meaning confidants ro err on the side of what they consider to be caution.

Ideally, a performant justice system and use of blanket media reporting restrictions to protect defendants until conviction would allow such determinations as “ruining someone’s life” to the prosecutors and the jury and save personal anguish on the part of the complainant.