GIST: "Police wrongly pursued a rape case against a retired fire chief rather than investigate a blackmail claim against the fantasist who made the allegation, the Telegraph can disclose. David Bryant, 67, spent almost three years in jail after being convicted of rape in a miscarriage of justice that further plunges into crisis the police handling of sex abuse cases. Mr Bryant’s conviction was overturned in the Court of Appeal and now a High Court judge has raised serious questions over a police force’s failure to investigate his accuser. The police inquiry began after Danny Day, who had sought medical help for compulsive lying, went to Dorset Police in 2012 claiming he had been raped by Mr Bryant in a fire station in Christchurch in 1977. But before doing so, Mr Day had posted a letter through Mr Bryant’s door threatening to make him pay “one way or another” and demanding he telephone him or else he would go to newspapers and to police. Mr Bryant’s wife Lynn, who subsequently died, her death blamed on the stress of the ordeal, immediately phoned police, alarmed by the threat. Her pleas were ignored. Now in a High Court judgment, Master Gary Thornett has expressed his concern that officers pursued the rape case against Mr Bryant rather than investigating Mr Day for blackmail. In the written judgment, Master Thornett said: “This [letter] would not strike any reasonable person as anything other than a blackmail note. It is clearly threatening. The invitation to make contact seems well away from a need to discuss and elicit an apology but instead seek either a financial payment or retribution through the threat of Police involvement and publicity.” Mr Day, from Bromley in Kent, received £11,000 from the Government’s Criminal injuries Compensation Authority for the rape, which he has never had to pay back. He also began a claim for damages from Mr Bryant and from Dorset fire services. Mr Bryant, who had received commendations for bravery during an unblemished 40-year career as a fire fighter, was convicted in 2013 on the basis of Mr Day’s testimony alone and sentenced to eight and half years in jail. He was freed in 2016 after the Court of Appeal quashed the conviction after it emerged that Mr Day had sought medical help for being a serial liar, including making demonstrably false claims he was a champion boxer who would have fought at the Los Angeles Olympics if he had not been so traumatised by the rape. On his release, Mr Bryant brought his own legal action against Mr Day. The High Court ruled that Mr Day “had sought to undermine justice by making false allegations” of sexual assault and had sought compensation “by contriving an allegation that was false and fundamentally dishonest”. Master Thornett’s judgment also declared that Mr Day had deliberately used the police and crown prosecution service to wage a “campaign of self-aggrandisement”. The court ordered him to pay £20,000 interim costs. Mr Bryant told the Telegraph: “This ruling shows just how hopeless the police were. Instead of investigating Danny day for blackmail, they investigated me for historic sex abuse. Lynn [Mr Bryant’s wife] reported this as a blackmail threat but they ignored it. “This could have been cleared up in days but instead I went to jail and my wife died from the stress of the ordeal.” The 35-page ruling will put huge pressure on Dorset police to apologise to Mr Bryant. The force has so far refused to do so and didn’t even bother to send a note of condolence when Mr Bryant’s wife died not long after his release. Mr Bryant’s lawyer Rupert Butler said Mr Bryant had “got lucky” that Mr day’s lies were relatively easily exposed. “If he [Day] had been a really good psychopath Dave would still be in prison,” said Mr Butler, “How many Dave’s are there wrongly locked up? I am guessing it is in the hundreds – that’s the scandal and it is only getting worse.” He said that Dorset police had not only wreaked devastation on his client but had also let down Mr Day by failing to check his claims properly. “They should never have let Day in the witness box with so little evidence or checking and they have ruined his life,” said Mr Butler. “I do not know what really motivated Day to lie, he is such a sad and complex character.”     Dorset Police have not responded to requests for a comment, but previously they told the Telegraph: “Dorset Police takes allegations of this nature very seriously and conducted a very thorough and detailed investigation. The findings of the investigation were passed on to the Crown Prosecution Service who chose to prosecute. "

The entire story can be read at:


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/02/10/police-wrongly-pursued-retired-fire-chief-rather-investigate/

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy; Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog."