ConsentIQ · Case studies
Liam Allan: two years on bail, then the case was dropped
What happened
In January 2016 a woman made allegations of rape and sexual assault against Liam Allan, a university student in London. In his police interview he said the relationship was consensual and the allegations were untrue.
In February 2017 he was charged with 12 counts of rape and sexual assault. He spent almost two years on bail, with the case hanging over him.
The trial
His trial began at Croydon Crown Court on 27 November 2017. He was 22.
The case turned on messages from the complainant's phone. Police held a download of the phone but had not reviewed all of it, and messages that cast doubt on the allegations had not been given to the defence. Once they were, the jury was discharged on 30 November 2017.
On 14 December 2017 the Crown Prosecution Service offered no evidence, saying there was "no longer a realistic prospect of conviction."
The review
A joint review by the Metropolitan Police and the Crown Prosecution Service found:
"There was undermining material in the phone download."
The review found no evidence that the material was held back on purpose. It said the problems "were caused by a combination of error, lack of challenge, and lack of knowledge."
In January 2018 a Metropolitan Police commander and the Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS London South met Liam Allan and apologised to him in person. The Metropolitan Police then reviewed hundreds of rape and sexual assault cases, and the CPS reviewed every live rape and sexual offence case it was prosecuting.
What it shows
Almost two years of a young man's life hung on what two people said about a relationship nobody had a record of. The messages that ended the case were never meant as a record, and they nearly went unseen.
Cases like this are rare, and most reports of sexual assault are genuine. When it does happen, everyone loses: the person accused, and every genuine victim who finds it harder to be believed. A clear record of what was agreed, made at the time, protects both people.
How ConsentIQ helps
ConsentIQ gives both people a clear record of what was agreed, made at the time. You start a session in your web browser and show a QR code. The other person scans it on their own phone, with no app or account, and records their own yes or no. You see one result on screen: consent granted, or not granted. Your video goes straight into our secure, encrypted vault, and nowhere else. Nobody can watch it, not even the person you're with. It can't be shared, posted or used to shame anyone. It is only ever released if police confirm it's legally needed.
A no is recorded just as clearly, and respected. Consent can be withdrawn at any time, and a record doesn't guarantee any legal outcome.