News Canada  Ottawa police tossing sex assault claims   First
posted: | Updated:  OTTAWA - Sexual assault claims are dismissed
by Ottawa Police at a rate 10 times higher than that of any
other crime.  According to police documents obtained by
University of Ottawa criminal lawyer and legal expert Blair
Crew, police tossed out 31% of all sexual assault cases between
2003 and 2007 after finding the victims' claims to be unfounded.
That compares to a 2.66% "unfounded rate" for all other crimes
in the same span.  Crew noted there's a distinction between a
claim being unfounded -- where police believe the claim to be
false -- and unsubstantiated, where there is insufficient
evidence to pursue charges.  "It's difficult to accept that
women lie three out of 10 times when they report a rape to the
police," said Crew. "In the same period, the offender was
charged in about 16% of all reported cases. That means the
chances of someone being charged are approximately half of the
woman's chances of being told she's not bel