A man who was accused of rape before the allegation was later dropped has said he has been left ‘an empty shell’ of a person.
Curtis Gibbins, 24, has described the moment his life completely changed when he was told by police that he had been accused of rape.
‘In February this year, I had a call from the police to say that someone had said I raped them. I was out with my friends at the time and it put a massive downer on the night, I felt like nothing.
‘Something about it just scared me. All that was going through my head was why would someone do this,’ he said.
The 24-year-old, from Port Tennant in Swansea, was never arrested or charged and the woman later retracted her statement.
‘When the allegations were dropped it was a massive relief, but it was more of a shock. It made me think ‘why did she do this’. I’ve still got this burden that other people still believe that I’ve done it.’
Mr Gibbins said he lost his best friend because of the allegation. ‘I was accused of something so horrific and horrible, it’s life changing. I’ve lost a lot of friends, I’ve even lost my best friend that I’ve known for 12 years.
‘I’ve lost many people in my life because of this and only my true friends have stuck by my side. I thank them all for that. I suffer with depression and anxiety but this has pushed me over the edge, I was feeling suicidal. I’m not saying I’m perfect but I’m a nice person and I get on with a lot of people,’ he said.
Mr Gibbins said he used to be outgoing and he loved going out and socialising, but he’s now ‘an empty shell’:
‘I was always out with my friends doing something but now I’m an empty shell. I loved going out and having a drink with friends, but now I don’t do anything, I just sit in the house. I don’t even talk to my parents or grandparents much – it’s very rare I visit my grandparents and that’s not fair on them.’
Mr Gibbins claims he has received threats and said this is why he doesn’t like leaving his home.
He said: ‘I’m still afraid to walk through the city centre on my own and I don’t like catching buses, it’s a massive negative feeling towards me now.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5618429/How-24-year-old-mans-life-fell-apart-falsely-accused-rape.html#ixzz5CmbOgnqy
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