We have previously discussed how false rape accounts are often not punished (as in the case of the infamous Duke Lacrosse rape case) or lightly punished. The Duke case shows how some prosecutors like North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper can take the politically expedient move of refusing to indict a false accuser despite her ruining the lives of multiple people. There has been a variation of sentences for false rape charges but they vary greatly, including just a few weekends in jail. (here; here; here; here; here; here; here; here; here; and here). On the other end of spectrum, the English courts recently handed out a significant sentence.
In the case of Denison, Grayson County District Attorney Joe Brown opted to increase the charges in like of the harm potentially caused by Harmon’s racially sensitive charges. It is a striking difference with the treatment of Crystal Magnum who caused a major national upheaval with her false allegations of a gang rape by white college students. (Magnum was later tried for murder in a separate case).
The Harmon case began on March 8, 2017 when she ran into a church bloodied and without pants and claimed the gang rape by the three black men in ski masks. She claimed that the men cut her with a knife.
The police however grew suspicious when her blue jeans did not correspond with the knife wounds on her leg and she eventually confessed to cutting herself. As this article explains, other problems became evident. The black pocket knife found near the scene of the alleged attack proved to be a gift from the former fiance, Samuel Hollingsworth. They also found two smoked Marlboro cigarettes, including one with a blood stain. Moreover, the hospital reported that there was no physical evidence of a sexual assault taking place and expressed doubt over the rape claim.
Harmon later admitted that she concocted the story because she was afraid that her Mom would be angry with her. She is now looking at a real possibility of jail time.