ExpectingUnicorns
. . . only the pure of heart can see.
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The system is not set up to side with the accused, in general once an accusation has been made it is almost always believed irrespective of whether it happened or not. The issue however is corroboration of an allegation. If there is corroboration in the form of verifiable injuries or witnesses, and a complaint is made immediately, the case will usually proceed (and likely end up in a conviction) provided that the victim goes through with it and does not decide to walk away. In most cases where charges end up not being pursued or dropped, either the victim will not testify in court or the complaint is made some time after the event and there is no corroboration of the accusation.
False accusations do happen btw, and are not uncommon. Studies on the subject suggest a false report rate between 2 and 20% IIRC (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_accusation_of_rape). The actual rate is likely somewhere inbetween those two numbers and depends on the circumstances of the case. An assault by a stranger likely has a very low false report rate, while accusations that are made long after the event likely have a high false report rate.
I am not aware of any system that "almost always" believes the rape accuser. While written with an air of authority, this first statement must be only an opinion ~ certainly not a fact, as any simple internet search will confirm. (https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=are+rape+victims+believed)
Corroboration of the rape allegation is only one of several "issues" involved in determining whether or not an accusation of rape is brought to court. As in this particular case, I believe there are many, many rapes, particularly at institutions of higher education, that are not prosecuted because those institutions are more concerned with their reputations and incomes than the safety of their students. This student, for instance, did want to formally charge JLM, she was apparently injured, some say hospitalized (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...rty-University-girl-claimed-raped-campus.html). And yet there were no formal charges brought.
Here is a wonderfully germane excerpt of a letter sent to Jerry Falwell, Liberty University, from the US Dept of Education, fining the university $165,000.
![LibertyUFine1.jpg LibertyUFine1.jpg](https://www.websleuths.com/forums/data/attachments/46/46568-1b9eb4da0c2847878be06b4484819262.jpg)
Read the entire letter here: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sites/default/files/1194_001.pdf