Posted on 04/17/2010 11:30:13 AM PDT by Christian Cage
A man who was falsely accused of sexual assault hanged himself after police failed to tell him they had dropped the case, an inquest heard.
John Keogh, 23, was ‘very upset and angry’ after a hospital patient claimed he had indecently assaulted her.
An investigation was launched but police decided to drop the case and withdraw all charges after interviewing him.
However, officers did not plan to tell Mr Keogh – who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia when he was 18 - until four days later – by which time, he had hanged himself with a pair of shoelaces.
His family believe he would not have killed himself if police had told him that he was no longer a suspect.
At jury inquest held in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, which returned a narrative verdict, the delay was described as a ‘contributing factor’ to Mr Keogh’s death.
The chair juror said: ‘He took his life by hanging, however, we feel that a failure to recognise the risk of this happening to him, particularly subsequent to the police interview may have been a contributing factor.’
Speaking after the inquest, Mr Keogh’s brother, Christopher, 34, from Trowbridge, slammed police as ‘negligent’.
He said: ‘There was a lot of crying down the phone about what had been allegedly done. He was crying that he didn't do anything. He was very angry.
‘There should have been more communication between the police and mental health partnership.
‘The system just failed him. They were negligent. If John had been told the allegations had been dropped I don't think we would be here today.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
I think part of the issue is shows like Law and Order: SVU which make every 40 year old male in NYC a sex pervert. Then, the over-saturation of shows like “To Catch a Predator” and “America’s Most Wanted,” coupled with movies that show violent rape like “Last House on the Left” and high school/college seminars, and by the time some women are 20, they are petrified that every guy on the sidewalk is gonna sexually assault them.
Well, anyone falsely accused of something is at least initially accused of having done it.
I don’t see a way to get around this. The police have to have time to wind things down, but I would have liked it if they had mentioned something earlier.
It’s not the fault of police that he killed himself.
Sad. RIP.
Not to play devils advocate, but it is a given in social psychology that because men and women are wired, and socialized differently, when a girl is even kind to a boy, it almost immediately is perceived as a come one, leading to the off repeated “I only like you as a friend.”
Therefore, a lot of boys, often misread girls, and make an advanced based on what they perceive to be a receptive girl. Girls, like you have said, are probably in turn over sensitive to that, and get creeped out more easily.
I managed a business with about 25 employees for a few years, and I had to have frequent talks with the boys, and sometimes girls (well, young men and women) about this very thing. The boys would be friendly, the girls would fraternize back, and it would turn into a big giant mess. And I would have to explain this fundamental difference in social thinking. It almost always worked out, but with one girl who had very bad anxiety problems (she would often break down at work over being busy and be found crying on the ground, or go to the restroom), so I don’t really count that.
It was always a nice refresher to work with the adult women, married, and with children, because they didn’t perceive a wave hello as a sexual advance, and the younger guys (usually), didn’t have the hang up of thinking the married women were into them.
Men and women are fundamentally different, and until people stop being indoctrinate otherwise, these problems will only get worse.
I partially agree. Until you face something like that, it’s likely you will not understand the fear he had. Afterall the cards are always stacked against males now and days, this was in England (I’m pretty sure), and he was mentally ill. It was negligence no matter what, and they are responsible for gross negligence in my opinion, but I don’t think they’re directly responsible for his death. Worthy of firing, I think, absolutely.
It’s like blaming government officials for terrorist attacks, after 9/11. Terrorists, not government failure to stop them, are the cause of that attack. Gross negligence enabled the attack to happen, but was not in and of itself the cause. Worthy of firing, absolutely. Worthy of treason, not necessarily.
I totally agree a man takes the slightest entrance as “hey, maybe she wants to boogie.” But most men dont go from she smiled to rape. I just dont know how we get society to understand both of the above sentences.
Go ogle (google?) a woman and the next thing you know you are in jail.
Yep. I’ve found sitting the young men down and telling them, because they knew what I was talking about, and made sense, they were receptive. The whackos blow it for everybody, and the older men (but not exclusively), can be motivated by sex and think they’ve “got game.”
Men are not inheritly “pigs,” but sex is a powerful motivator for them. Hence, when it’s flashed around them everywhere and at all times, they get eager for it (women do too, but not to the same extent, in general).
Unfortunately, even fwer people fail to realize that rape is NOT a SEXUALLY MOTIVATED. Rape is a crime of power. It’s about feeling powerless and taking that frustration on someone else. Even though it has a sexual component, that isn’t it’s cause.
I’d therefore say, only the depraved go from smile to rape, men or women (women use manipulation rather than force, again gender differences, or act out on children...because they cannot physically force a man, usually, I know of exceptions). It’s because they’re ostracized or timid and trampled anyway, that they swoop in on any affection, and when it’s not going fast enough they act out.
Lengthy I know, but it may help in a starting point to rectify your two statements to society’s problem comprehending the issue. Awareness is important because so few know what is really going on when these issues are brought up.
There are lots of innocent people suffering in the UK from injustice delivered by their criminal socialist rulers.
Um, I think I would correctly perceive that as sexual assault, and harassment (given the context, for sure), respectively.
As someone pointed out, any man alone with a woman or child opens himself to slander and accusations. I make it a practice to seldom, if ever be alone with either, unless that are blood family. And I believe that no man or woman who is married EVER have physical contact other than a handshake, or get closer than an arm’s distance relationship. I believe that for singles too, but not as strictly. No hugs, no shoulder rubs. I’ve stated my position on that before, so it’s not new to me.
I know of orthodox Jews whose wives do not even handshake men’s hands (nor do men handhake other married women). So, there’s even more conservative than I am. I don’t think all the touching and feeling is responsible outside of proper family relationships, husband and wife for sexual intimacy, and hugging, holding hands etc. for kids, siblings.
I’m unfamiliar with Anita Hill, I looked on Wikipedia just now, but if you have a better source I’ll read, because I don’t know what you’re referring to, yet, sorry.
Yep. There are vindictive people out there, and they tend to congregate together.
At least that's my recollection, which could be horribly inaccurate.
A consequence of socialism.
Thank you so much, that gives me perspective to start my search about Anita Hill.
You’ve been very gracious to answer me, thanks.
Yep, as KGB defector “Griffin” (Yuri Bezmenov) indicated, that’s the demoralization phase they ran us through. Destabilization’s underway, Crisis is forthcoming.
Justice Thomas, during his confirmation hearing in the senate, was accused by a previous subordinate Anita Hill of having sexually harrassed her repeatedly for several years.
The biggest problem is that when police investigate something, even when they find you did nothing wrong, it's not like they give you some certificate of innocence -- they simply don't pursue it. Meanwhile, anyone who knows you and hears about it, probably thinks "where there is smoke, there must be fire" and they will never look at you the same way again.
A person can really destroy you, your reputation and your life with a false allegation -- and that doesn't just go for female/male sex complaints --it can be anything.
There is a reason that The Ten Commandments include prohibiting "bearing false witness" against someone.
Very well described!
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