After Lisa-Jayne Samuels, 29, from Southend, was sentenced to 20 months in prison for concocting an allegation of rape, it emerged that the man arrested on suspicion of the offence had had his life turned upside down.

He was arrested, interviewed, picked out in an identification parade and on police bail for months. Terry Brown was also beaten by a gang of masked thugs, forced to leave his home town of Basildon for fear of further assaults, prevented from seeing his children and his partner lost their unborn child.

With this in mind, we ask should those accused of rape should be granted anonymity until a guilty or not guilty verdict has been reached?

YES

Terry Brown, 33, from Canvey victim of a false rape allegation

I ABSOLUTELY think accused people in sexual offences cases should have anonymity.

We have had our lives ruined by a false allegation and it’s something I would not wish on my worst enemy. I have been beaten up, lost a baby, been stopped from seeing my kids and been forced out of my hometown.

Once you have been accused of rape, you get tarred with that brush and you cannot get rid of it. I was just walking through the street when I got arrested, the police said it was on suspicion of rape and lots of people heard, so everyone was looking at me and you could tell they automatically thought I’d done it and that I was a rapist.

I was just in shock and so surprised because I had absolutely no idea what they were talking about, the whole story had been completely made up.

It should definitely be the case that police are more discreet as well, then are allowed to conduct their investigations and a verdict be given in a trial before anyone’s name is made public.

It’s difficult to say how far anonymity should go, but I definitely think sexual offences are the lowest of the low, it’s the worst name you could have associated with you.

There are women out there who sadly do suffer at the hands of beasts though, and nothing should affect how they are treated.

I just want to clear my name now and try to get my life back to as normal as I possibly can.

NO

David Bright, 72, of Southend, former detective with Essex Police

THE publicity of someone like Gary Glitter being charged got other people to come forward.

There’s a lot to be said for that, because it’s very difficult for the victims to have the courage to go to police.

Put yourself in the mind of the victim, particularly with historical stuff. These people have this power where they think they are so powerful, no one will say anything against them and if they do, no one will believe it.

Why should it be anonymous for someone who is alleged to have committed something that carries life in prison? Why should it be different for someone charged with murder?

Should suspected gun robbers not be named? What about when police issue appeals for suspects?

They haven’t even been charged, yet their faces and names are in the paper.

The police don’t charge someone without the say so of the Crown Prosecution Service and they judge the evidence.

They won’t take something to court unless there’s a good chance of conviction.

But Lisa-Jayne Samuels had form for making false claims and someone should have been looking at that.

The most important people in any crime is the victim and all too often victims get forgotten.

They are left behind. Defendants have a solicitor representing them, but victims don’t. They have a police officer who may have 20 burglaries under investigation, another rape and a robbery.

However good the police want to be, often the victims are left alone. They are alone and they need to be believed. If you are a genuine victim, it never leaves you.

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