BBCA student who was cleared of rape has sued the police after it emerged they hid 40,000 text messages from the person who accused him.
These messages provided crucial evidence in support of 22-year-old Liam Allan’s innocence.
The criminology student from South East London was accused of 12 counts of rape and sexual assault. Had he been found guilty, he could have spent twenty years in prison.
I'm on #BBCNews at 8pm talking about #LiamAllan case, disclosure failings, #cutshaveconsequences & risk of #wrongfulconvictions
— Dr Hannah Quirk (@HannahQuirk1) December 15, 2017
Allan was cleared last week after the text messages came to light – some of which included requests for sex.
The accuser sent one message to a friend about her encounter with Allan which read, ‘It wasn’t against my will or anything’ – this was prior to her making the allegations.
How on earth did it get to this point? For almost two years 22 yr old Liam Allan lived in purgatory awaiting a rape trial- which collapsed yesterday because police failed to reveal evidence proving his innocence. The prosecuting barrister is coming on my @bbc5live show 10am pic.twitter.com/SNQo3M3QYF
— Emma Barnett (@Emmabarnett) December 15, 2017
He now feels he has ‘no choice’ but to sue both the police and the Crown Prosecution Service. He has apparently yet to receive an apology
He has told The Sun On Sunday:
I am however, happy to work with the CPS and police to help ensure things change for the better. In this case no individual is to blame; there are multiple factors.
Allan’s lawyer Simone Meerabux said:
Mr Allan lost two years of his life because of gross negligence.
We are considering legal action against the police and the CPS.
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I've been reading some threads and commentary about disclosure failings following the collapsed trial of #liamallan. I cannot help but think funding for Police, CPS and Defence is urgently needed. Here's why:
— Stephen Davies (@sdavieslaw) December 16, 2017
Allan has described how he has experienced a ‘terrible limbo’ lasting two years after the accusations were made.
He now hopes to use his experiences to push for changes within the criminal justice system which will benefit both those who have been wrongly accused.
#LiamAllan's case shows why our justice system is becoming a matter of national shame. https://t.co/Jkkrwt9nLj
— Matthew Scott (@Barristerblog) December 15, 2017
Speaking to the BBC, Allan discussed the extent of his shocking ordeal:
You just think the worst case scenario… People have to start planning for life without you.
He added:
There was no possible real gain from it other than destroying somebody else’s life… It’s something I will never be able to forgive or forget.
The way @metpoliceuk & @cpsuk carried out #LiamAllan case is much worse than incompetence, it's disturbing and sinister. Then to hear The Met will investigate themselves is shocking! These people need dragging into criminal courts for attempting to pervert justice.
— JamesReckons (@JamesReckons) December 15, 2017
Plenty of people have come forward to offer support for Allan after the true story emerged.
One person tweeted:
The case of Liam Allan will quite rightly cause many to lose confidence in police for withholding evidence which proved Mr Allan to be innocent.
The accuser must now be prosecuted for perjury..
Another said:
Police witholding evidence in order to secure a wrongful conviction is widespread & you can bet that for every publicised case involving a white middle-class defendant there will be a bunch of poor & BAME victims of this practice that we never hear about.
https://twitter.com/PrzybylskiMike/status/941647416826220550
Re: the Liam Allan case. Police witholding evidence in order to secure a wrongful conviction is widespread & you can bet that for every publicised case involving a white middle-class defendant there will be a bunch of poor & BAME victims of this practice that we never hear about.
— Oonagh Ryder (@oonskie) December 15, 2017
A Croydon Crown Court judge is now pushing for an inquiry into the botched case.
Furthermore, the detective who was who lead investigations the case is currently being looked into by Met Police.
Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.