The Other Side of the Line.

The Delicate Matter of False Accusations of Harassment and Stalking: A Critical Essay.

Harassment and stalking are serious, often devastating crimes that destroy lives, create psychological trauma, and—tragically—sometimes end in death. The case of 19-year-old Shana Grice, murdered in 2016 in Brighton after being persistently stalked by her ex-boyfriend Michael Lane, underscores how fatal the consequences of these crimes can be when authorities fail to act. Despite multiple complaints made by Grice, Sussex Police not only ignored her cries for help but fined her for “wasting police time.” Her murder became a national scandal, and rightly so—it exposed a dangerous culture of disbelief and complacency within the very system designed to protect victims.

Yet, amid the gravity of real stalking and harassment cases, there is another equally delicate matter that must be addressed with equal honesty and fairness: the phenomenon of false and malicious accusations. When someone is falsely accused of stalking or harassment, the damage to their life, reputation, mental health, and even liberty can be profound. While the law must protect the vulnerable, it must also protect the innocent. And herein lies the tightrope.

False accusations are not just mistakes; they can be strategic weapons used to manipulate, discredit, or punish another individual—often in emotionally charged disputes such as relationship breakdowns, custody battles, or vendettas. In such cases, the mere allegation is enough to spark police action, legal proceedings, social stigma, and online condemnation. And once accused, the stain rarely washes off, even if cleared.

Sussex Police, in particular, seem to have swung from one extreme to the other. Having been publicly disgraced for their failings in the Shana Grice case, there appears now a desperate overcompensation—a willingness to accept and act on any complaint, no matter how flimsy or malicious, so as not to be seen making the same mistake again. But in doing so, they risk making a new and equally dangerous mistake: criminalising the innocent.

Each false allegation draws attention, time, and public resources away from real victims—victims like Shana Grice, who are crying out to be believed. Every false complaint erodes trust in the system. Worse still, it creates a chilling effect where genuine victims may be afraid to come forward, fearing they won’t be believed because of the growing awareness of false reports.

The problem lies in an institutional failure to properly investigate before acting. A true victim of stalking will often have a clear pattern of persistent, unwanted attention over time, supported by evidence—messages, calls, surveillance, threats. A false accusation, by contrast, often collapses under proper scrutiny—but only if scrutiny is applied.

Instead, Sussex Police sometimes leap into action based solely on a complaint, issuing warnings, arrests, or even charging individuals with no effort to verify the truth. This results in innocent people being criminalised, traumatised, and labelled for life—while actual abusers continue unchallenged.

It is possible—and essential—to hold two truths at once: that stalking and harassment are real, dangerous, and life-threatening crimes that deserve immediate and serious intervention; and that false accusations of such crimes are also real, dangerous, and destructive. A mature justice system must be able to walk that line, with integrity, diligence, and impartiality.

To do this, Sussex Police and all law enforcement must implement safeguards: rigorous initial evidence assessments, balanced risk evaluations, early scrutiny of the complainant’s credibility, and firm penalties for those proven to lie to the authorities. There must be training—comprehensive, mandatory training—for officers, not just on spotting genuine stalking patterns but also on recognising red flags for false reports.

Justice cannot be served if the pendulum is allowed to swing too far in either direction. For the memory of Shana Grice—and for the dignity of every innocent person falsely accused—we must get this right. Lives depend on it.