A space for anonymous reflections on regret and false allegations

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The Silence No One Wants to Talk About

In Scotland’s courts, a single allegation can take a person from parent to outcast overnight. The damage is obvious: lost work, lost family, and a future rewritten by a system that must act swiftly on allegations, sometimes before evidence can be fully tested.

But there is another form of harm that almost no one acknowledges. Some people who made false allegations, sometimes years ago, sometimes in moments of confusion, pressure or crisis, now live with a quiet, corrosive regret.

They carry fear, guilt, uncertainty, and a sense that they cannot speak to anyone about what happened. Not because they are monsters, but because they are human beings who made a terrible mistake, often under pressures they did not fully understand at the time.

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Why False Allegations Happen

False allegations occur for many different reasons. Understanding these is not about excusing the harm caused, but about recognising the complexity of human behaviour and the pressures within Scotland’s justice system.

• • • pressure from police or others
    • relationship breakdown
    • fear and confusion
    • mental health crises
    • misunderstanding what the justice system would do with a statement
    • emotional instability during trauma or loss

Once a statement is made, the system often takes over.
Many people realise too late that they have lost control, and years later find themselves living with a burden they cannot express.

Hannah Arendt wrote that truth becomes powerful “only when someone dares to speak it”.

But these individuals cannot speak publicly.
They often feel unable to apologise.
They cannot undo the consequences.
And so the guilt stays locked inside.

Two Silences. Two Harms.

Scotland now has two groups unable to speak:

• • • innocent people whose voices are dismissed as self-serving
    • people who regret their allegation but cannot safely express it

Both are harmed by a system that prefers closure over truth. The Nameless Truth Project seeks to give each side something they have been denied — a space where honesty is allowed to exist without fear.

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A Space for Anonymous Reflection — Not Blame

This project is not about naming anyone, revisiting cases, or retracting evidence. It is not a legal process and does not interfere with any legal proceedings. Instead, it allows individuals who carry regret to anonymously express:

• what they feel now
• what pressures they faced
• what they wish they had understood
• what they believe Scotland must change

No names. No dates. No locations. No identifying information.

Just quiet truth — the kind the public never hears.

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Why These Reflections Matter

Understanding why false allegations occur is not an attack on genuine survivors. It is a vital part of preventing miscarriages of justice and improving Scotland’s legal system for everyone. Anonymous reflections can reveal:

• • • how police practices shape statements
    • the emotional context around allegations
    • common misunderstandings about the justice process
    • systemic issues affecting people across Scotland

This evidence can inform policy, guide reform, and help Scotland build a justice system that balances protection with fairness.

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If You Carry Regret – You Can Speak Here

If you were ever involved in a false allegation, in any circumstances or for any reason, and remorse has followed you, you may speak here anonymously.

• • • You do not need to justify anything.
    • You do not need to explain the case.
    • You do not need to name anyone.

This is not a legal process. It is simply a place to express what you have carried alone.

Sometimes the smallest truth, spoken without names, is enough to begin healing — for everyone involved.

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Submit Your Anonymous Reflection

All submissions are fully anonymous and treated with care.

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The Nameless Truth Project is an initiative by Accused.Scot to understand the pressures, emotions, and systemic failures that contribute to false allegations in Scotland. We publish patterns, not identities, and we treat all submissions ethically and confidentially.

The Nameless Truth Project will run throughout 2026.
We will review anonymised emotional themes after the first 12 months and publish a public insights summary.
The form will remain open as long as people continue to use it.