In January 2013, Eleanor de Freitas reported that she has been raped. The accused was arrested but a case was not issued against him due to inconsistencies in her evidence.
A private prosecution was then brought against the 23 year old girl in April on the basis of false accusations and perverting the course of justice. The prospect of facing such a trial terrified the girl so much that she chose to take her own life instead.
Now the father of Miss de Freitas has spoken up to say that he feels 'let down terribly' by 'the system of fairness in this country'.
"(She was) a vulnerable young woman who made a complaint of rape," he said "As a result of which, she herself became the subject of legal proceedings… despite the fact the police did not believe there to be a case against her."
"It was soul destroying and it ground her down… In the end, she couldn't cope with it and it was tragic, tragic, tragic."
Suffering from bipolar disorder, Eleanor became terrified that should she be convicted she could find herself being sectioned under the Mental Health Act.
"There are very serious implications for the reporting of rape cases if victims fear that they may themselves end up the subject of a prosecution if their evidence is in any way inconsistent," Mr. de Freitas warned.
The Crown Prosecution Service was called on to put a stop to the proceedings by Ms. de Freitas' lawyers, but instead they chose to take on the case themselves.
An inquest into her death is meant to begin today, but the de Freitas family and solicitors plan to ask for a postponement. They hope that doing so will lead to it being considered a special type of legal case that can be held before a jury who will decide whether the public bodies involved could have done more to prevent the death.
Alison Saunders is the Director of Public prosecutions and personally involved in the examination of the case. She has described it as being 'one of the most difficult (cases) I have seen' and she understands 'the family's unease'.
She explained that 'prosecuting cases of perverting the course of justice in connection with an alleged false rape allegation is rare, extremely difficult and always complex and sensitive'. Her statement ended with: "I would welcome the opportunity then to meet with Eleanor's family to discuss the case and the law surrounding it."