Why Claims That False Allegations Are ‘Rare’ Don’t Add Up
- Falsely Accused Network
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
By Michael Thompson, Founder & Director, Falsely Accused Network
For years, we’ve heard the familiar line: “False allegations of domestic abuse are rare — only 2% are proven false.”
It’s a neat statistic. It sounds scientific. It’s quoted endlessly by campaigners, journalists, and even in Parliament. But when you stop and examine it logically, it starts to fall apart.
At the Falsely Accused Network, we’re not interested in slogans. We’re interested in truth, fairness, and evidence. And the truth is that this 2% claim tells us almost nothing about the real scale of false allegations in the UK.
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The Logical Problem
When people say “only 2% are false,” they usually mean only 2% have been conclusively proven to be false.
But that’s a very narrow measure. Proving something false requires hard evidence, a full investigation, and a justice system willing to acknowledge fabrication, and that rarely happens.
Now let’s flip the logic.
If we’re only counting what’s proven, then we have to apply that same standard the other way around.
How many allegations of domestic abuse or sexual offences are ever proven true beyond reasonable doubt, in court?
According to CPS and Home Office data, only a small proportion of all reported allegations result in a charge, and an even smaller number lead to a conviction.
So if 2% “proven false” means false allegations are rare, then 2% “proven true” would mean genuine abuse is rare too.
Obviously, both statements can’t be right. What’s really “rare” is a clear outcome either way.
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The Grey Area Nobody Talks About
The reality is that most cases never reach trial.
Many are dropped due to insufficient evidence.
Some are withdrawn.
Some end with “no further action.”
And in family courts, allegations are often made without any criminal finding, yet they still destroy lives and relationships.
Most allegations sit in the grey zone: neither proven true nor proven false.
That’s not because everyone’s lying, it’s because the system rarely establishes truth at all.
So when someone quotes “2% false” as if it’s proof, they’re really saying:
“We only count the lies we can conclusively prove, and we ignore everything else.”
That’s not data. That’s selective reasoning.
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Abusers Lie — But So Can False Accusers
Here’s where the logic really collapses.
Most campaigners agree, correctly, that genuine abusers often lie about their behaviour.
They deny, minimise, or twist the facts to protect themselves.
But if we accept that lying and manipulation are traits of abusive behaviour, then it follows that false allegations can also be a form of domestic abuse, because they involve deliberate deceit to harm, control, or punish another person.
So if we all agree that abusers lie, and if making a false allegation is itself abusive behaviour, then it’s illogical to claim false allegations are “rare.”
Abusers by nature lie, and lying about abuse, whether by denying it or fabricating it, is still abuse.
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False Allegations Are Domestic Abuse
Let’s be clear: genuine domestic abuse is wrong.
But so are false allegations.
When someone knowingly fabricates an accusation to destroy another person emotionally, financially, or socially, that is psychological abuse.
It is, by the government’s own definition, coercive and controlling behaviour.
And if we truly want to end domestic abuse, we have to be honest enough to condemn all of it, even when the perpetrator hides behind the label of “victim.”
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The Human Cost
At Falsely Accused Network, we’ve seen first-hand the devastation caused by false allegations:
Parents alienated from their children for months or years.
Careers and reputations destroyed overnight.
Innocent people living under police bail or investigation for months with no resolution.
Severe mental health damage, including anxiety, depression, and in some cases suicide.
Each of these individuals is a victim too, a victim of a system that doesn’t yet recognise the damage caused by false allegations.
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Where the Conversation Should Go
It’s time to move beyond lazy soundbites and start asking better questions:
How many allegations are ever properly tested in court?
How many are withdrawn before evidence is examined?
How many are contradicted by later findings?
And how many innocent people are left with their lives in ruins, without ever being convicted of anything?
Until we ask those questions honestly, we cannot claim to understand the true picture, and we certainly can’t claim to be delivering justice.
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Conclusion
False allegations aren’t “rare.”
They are rarely proven, and there’s a world of difference between the two.
If we accept that abusers lie, and if false allegations are a form of abuse, then it’s only logical to accept that those lies exist, even if the system struggles to measure them.
Every false allegation is a form of domestic abuse in itself.
And every innocent life destroyed by one is a failure of justice we should all care about.
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