An interesting recent post that has appeared on the Rolf Harris petition in response to an update about the quashing of one conviction.
"I have never for one moment thought that Rolf Harris is guilty, he was clearly set up by opportunist liars so that they could gain compensation.
The big problem in all these celebrity ‘trials’ from Jimmy Savile to Edward Heath is multiple accusations from unrelated people. It is this that gives a rock solid credibility to even the most outrageous allegations. Most people’s attitude is ‘they can’t ALL be lying, can they?’
Is it possible that, given the right circumstances, many people unrelated to each other will come forward and happily lie in a court of law? I think it is and the reason is that at this moment in time we actually do have the right circumstances for this to occur.
First we have a pedophile hysteria sweeping the nation that puts forward the view that the UK is infested with pedophiles when in reality pedophilia is and always has been confined to a small minority.
Secondly, we have the paying of compensation to victims of sexual abuse after a conviction.
Thirdly there is the new police response to sexual abuse accusations that assumes the accuser is telling the truth without any evidence needed. Related to this is the psychiatric professions’ endorsement that the accusers behavior can be explained by the trauma of the abuse. (So not saying a word at the time or asking for money is explained to the skeptics as being a natural response to the abuse they have suffered).
This toxic mix means that anyone accused of abuse basically doesn’t stand a chance even if they show evidence to the contrary.
If this behavior, of multiple accusations by unrelated people, could be shown to be a psychological phenomenon that, although extremely rare, can occur given the right circumstances, then it may be used to prove that there is reasonable doubt to the accusations. The medieval witch trials also showed this phenomenon to have occurred before, where multiple accusations were made against individuals but no one in their right mind would consider that these accusations were truthful but still the fact remains that many unrelated people stood up and lied in court.
Is there not a psychologist out there that would undertake research into this area and find other examples where this had occurred? If they could then it may help in getting the remaining convictions of Mr Harris quashed."
www.change.org/p/review-the-conviction-o...f-justice/u/22023950
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