Women Recant Sex Abuse Allegations

[emad]

Guardian

Friday November 5, 2004 2:16 PM


RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Two women whose testimony in a child molestation case put a man behind bars for 20 years have recanted, with one saying her grandmother pressured them to finger the wrong man to protect a cousin.

The accusers, cousins who were 4 and 6 when they made the charges, were expected to testify Friday that they falsely accused Sylvester Smith, 53. He was given two consecutive life sentences in 1984.

``The system can correct itself when an error is found,'' said prosecutor Rex Gore, who is requesting a new trial so that he may drop the charges. ``We're hoping we can right a wrong.''

One victim says the real abuser was a cousin who is now serving a life sentence for murder. Gore said he would not prosecute because the cousin was 9 at the time.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4597905,00.html

[NVMojo]

1. yep, this could happen ...

I watched a case like this up close. Drama queens know how to work a system.

[shrike]

2. Read an interesting Discovery article on false memories

Details how some people come to believe, with all sincerity, abuse, alien abduction, etc.

The folks on DU won't like this, but the writer indicated he feels the current scandal in the Catholic church may be due somewhat to false memories. Not that there aren't pedophile priests; of course there are, and he makes it clear he doesn't believe ALL charges are untrue. But he compares the current scandal to what which arose in the daycare industry during the '80s.

Don't know the circumstances in this case, but it may be that these ladies honestly believed the charges they made so long ago. Hence, they didn't do what they did out of malice.