No good deed goes unpunished, an Australian man falsely accused of sexual assault after helping a woman with her broken down car has learned.
Thirty-six-year-old Kenan Basic spent weeks in jail, lost his relationship, and was repeatedly slandered after a woman falsely accused him of sexual misconduct.
According to Australia-based 7NEWS, Basic was accused of “indecently assaulting and stalking” Caitlyn Gray, a 19-year-old woman, after he stopped to help her when her car broke down late last year.
Basic apparently spent two hours fixing Gray’s vehicle. As shown by surveillance footage, the smiling pair seem happy, hugging after the car is fixed and eventually parting ways. But according to the news station, “Gray told police Basic had allegedly propositioned her for sex in return for his help before he pursued her in the car and later indecently assaulted her at a different location.” Authorities investigating the incident called Basic’s behavior “predatory.”
Months later, however, the truth about the incident finally came out: Basic never assaulted the woman. The 19-year-old confessed to police during an interrogation that she fabricated evidence and made up the assault whole-cloth.
All charges against Basic have been dismissed. Gray is now the one with the legal issues, charged with contempt of court, fabricating evidence, and lying to law enforcement.
“My client and his family are extremely happy with the outcome,” said Mona Elbaba, a lawyer representing Basic.
“He has always maintained his innocence, he’s always said he’s not guilty to the charges, and has vigorously denied the allegations,” said the lawyer.
“I understand that there was some CCTV footage which contradicted her version, and the police obtained that footage by mere luck after we asked the police to investigate the matter further, and they did,” Elbaba continued. “It’s an extraordinary outcome for my client. Justice has been served and we are very happy with the outcome.”
Walking out of the court room where the charges were dropped on Monday, a relieved Basic told reporters, “Finally this is over, so I am very happy.”
The falsely accused man noted that he’s “never been jailed, never had a criminal record or anything.”
“I always help people, all my life,” he said. “And this was the first time a snake bit me.”
The 36-year-old said he’ll “probably never help again, ya know. I don’t want that to happen again.”
Basic is now pursuing costs and compensation over the ordeal and is set for a court date in July, 7NEWS reported.