An innocent man spent five months in prison after his ex-girlfriend falsely accused him of rape.
33-year-old Daniel Jones from Canberra, Australia became engaged to Sarah Jane Parkinson only a few months after meeting at work in 2011.
Their whirlwind romance came to a crashing halt when on the day the couple were due to move into their new house together, Jones was taken in by the police.
As reported by 60 Minutes for 9News, Parkinson, who worked at the Queanbeyan Police Station, told her colleagues Jones had abused her, resulting in him being served with an AVO (apprehended violence order).
Jones protested his innocence, stating he’d never been violent towards Parkinson, telling 60 Minutes:
I’d just built a house and she’d moved in with me, everything was going well. I had everything going right, and in that instant, everything just went to shit.
She’s a lying, vindictive, cancerous woman.
It was a case of his word against hers, and the police believed Parkinson, although she told Jones she’d not asked for the AVO, claiming her colleagues were being over-protective.
In 2014 Parkinson claimed she’d been raped by Jones, who was arrested and taken immediately to the police station.
He was then transferred to a maximum security prison for five months, as police investigated several allegations Parkinson made against Jones.
Parkinson’s lies caught up with her though, and earlier this year she was sentenced to three years in jail for making the false claims.
As reported by ABC News, investigators discovered Jones was at his parents’ house with others at the time of the alleged rape in 2014.
Alarm bells were also raised when Parkinson claimed to recall more and more details about the incident in later interviews, despite originally saying she couldn’t remember anything.
During these interviews, Parkinson also made new claims saying she was assaulted numerous times.
Jones told the court he’d lost everything due to Parkinson’s false accusations, saying:
There were times when I considered ending it all. I have never felt more alone and helpless.
Parkinson has chosen not to apologise to Jones and his family.
You can watch the full interview with Jones on 60 Minutes this Sunday at 8.30pm on Channel 9 in Australia.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence contact the Rape Crisis England and Wales helpline on 0808 802 9999 (12-2:30 and 7-9:30). Alternatively you can contact Victim Support on 08 08 16 89 111.
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