The facts of a recent care case have fascinated me beyond comprehension. For me it has highlighted the ingenuity of mankind and brought to life the meaning of the proverb ‘necessity is the mother of invention’. How random the twists of fate, luck and chance! It also bears testimony to the fact that truth is very often stranger than fiction. It really is!
A young lady who could neither speak, nor hear and who suffered from severe learning difficulties alleged that she had been sexaully assaulted by a relative. Her learning difficulties meant that she could not ‘sign’ in the approved manner. Furthermore she could neither write nor spell. Also because of her ‘troubled past’ which included some sexual promiscuity, it could not be certain that she was telling the truth. As if playing a game of charades, she had acted out the unpleasant experience that she had endured to her sister, who although she did not believe her reported the matter to the police.
On a completely separate occasion she had also acted out the same incident to her support worker, who knew exactly what she meant as she had made a similar allegation about the same relative 2 years previously. For some reason, which she could not explain, the support worker had made a video recording of that previous ‘disclosure’ but had not shown it to any one – until now.
The relative vehemently protested his innocence when the most recent allegation was put to him. As far as he was concerned the young lady was ‘a fantasist’, who ‘fancied’ him and this was a lie that was entirely in keeping with her troubled past. In any event he had only met her a few times and the last time was years ago when she was a very small child. It was only when the earlier incident was put to him by the authorities and he was shown the video that he modified his story to reflect the truth. In it the young lady shows the camera a national newspaper (date clearly visible) opened at page 3 on which the relative had written the young lady’s name across the chest of a topless model, scrawled a tender message and drawn a heart upon which were inscribed his initials and hers. He had left her with his pen as well, a distinctive one given as a present by his then wife. OMG! What are the chances of that happening!
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