Sexual assault survivors rarely lie about violence

Article here. Excerpt:

'In a 26-page decision handed down Thursday morning, Ontario Court Justice William Horkins found former CBC radio host Jian Ghomeshi not guilty of three counts of sexual assault and, while doing so, suggested that not all sexual assault survivors are telling the truth.

Among the many reasons for the verdict was the “inconsistencies” and “demonstrably false” nature of some of the witnesses’ testimony, he wrote.

He also wrote that the complainants’ evidence “illustrates the need to be vigilant in avoiding” the idea that all sexual assault survivors are telling the truth.

“However, the twists and turns of the complainants’ evidence in this trial, illustrate the need to be vigilant in avoiding the equally dangerous false assumption that sexual assault complainants are always truthful,” he wrote.

“Each individual and each unique factual scenario must be assessed according to their own particular circumstances.”'