Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Of course, wrongful allegations of sexual abuse and assault are not limited to the UK. These are a world wide problem and Peter Joyce from New Zealand has written many meticulously researched articles about the subject. His website is called Blackstone’s Drum, after William Blackstone who famously said “it is better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer.” This is often quoted as the origin of the principle of the presumption of innocence in our legal system. Tragically, for many, this principle seems to have been reversed. Now that a person complaining of a sexual assault is called a ‘victim’ as soon as they report to the police, it is left to the accused person to prove that they are innocent. The result is that there are many wrongly convicted people in prison who seem to be ‘acceptable collateral damage’ in the ongoing war against sexual abuse.
“It is better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer.”
William Blackstone, 1723-1780
Wrongful allegations are not extremely rare
How frequently do we hear that wrongful allegations are ‘extremely rare’? Many readers of our site will be only too aware that their own experience is that this is definitely not the case. In his article, ‘A Lesser Tragedy’, Peter explains in great detail why this oft repeated mantra is false. He has helpfully provided us with a condensed version for those that don’t have time to read the full article.
We are extremely grateful to Peter for his website and for his tireless campaigning on behalf of the wrongfully accused.
1 comment
Don HUDSON
I appreciated Peter’s efforts on fighting for the falsely accused.
Having been a victim I know what his 7 months impacted him.
I endured 150 days before the investigating Sergeant stopped the case to stop himself being investigated and charged for the crimes of perjury. destroying and withholding defence evidence trying to get me falsely convicted. He stopped the case to prevent his crimes being exposed to the presiding judge. This was 105 days after Peter ELLIS was convicted against the evidence in the Christchurch Civic Creche fiasco.
Peter Joyce and I communicated over several years before he died.
Were you aware that Peter JOYCE died several years ago?
• If so could you advise me to the time of his death with cancer.
• I have also been trying to find the detailed posting Peter wrote on the abuse of words in the ‘just ice’ that I think was also on your website. If you can help with that, I would be greatly pleased.
All the best and many thanks for your part in exposing crimes of this nature.