September 29, 2025 | Sex Crimes
False accusations of rape bring significant stress, embarrassment, and fear about what lies ahead. The risk to your freedom and every other aspect of your life is real, before you even go to court. These cases must be handled with aggressive legal representation. You need a lawyer who understands the law and how these allegations affect your life.
Below are some of the most important steps you can take (and avoid) when you’re fighting false allegations of rape in Indiana.
Do Not Contact the Accuser
If you’re accused of rape, do not ever reach out to the accuser. It doesn’t matter if you want to clear things up or ask them why they’re making these false allegations. You likely have a no-contact order in place if you’ve been arrested, and contacting them in any way can violate this order. A violation can lead to you being arrested and facing additional charges.
Never Speak to the Police Alone
If the police ask for your side, it can be hard not to start talking. Most people believe they can calm things down and explain the charges away if they give the police more information, but this is almost never the case.
Police often lie to you and twist your words into something that can be used against you. You always have the right to remain silent and speak with a lawyer before being questioned by the police – assert this right immediately.
Identify Witnesses, Alibis, and Digital Trails
Think carefully about where you were, who was with you, and what may prove your location. This could be a neighbor, a coworker, rideshare records, store receipts, text messages, time-stamped photos, video footage, or even gym swipe-ins. Someone’s memory about your time together, or a camera that picked you up, may be more important than you realize.
Understand How These Cases Are Investigated
If you find yourself accused of a serious crime like rape, knowing how law enforcement will investigate is extremely important. You can be better prepared by understanding what to expect and what the police might be looking for.
SANE Exams and Forensic Evidence
In many serious allegations, the person making the report may be offered a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) exam. A nurse carries out this medical exam to collect evidence and check for injuries. The nurse may gather bodily fluids, swabs, or document bruises. The evidence is often called a rape kit.
An injury does not automatically mean that a crime happened, and a lack of visible injuries does not prove that one did not occur. The forensic exam can identify DNA or injuries but cannot prove consent or lack of consent on its own.
Pretext Calls and Recorded Communications
Sometimes, police set up what are known as pretext calls or undercover texts. These usually involve the accuser contacting the defendant, following guidance from detectives.
The idea is to see if anything gets said that could support or disprove parts of the accusation. These recordings can be presented as evidence in court.
Searching Phones, Cloud Accounts, and Social Media Activity
Electronic evidence is becoming more common in nearly any investigation. Police are likely to seek a search warrant to look at your texts, emails, photos, search histories, or social media posts. Don’t delete anything, but just ensure you know this will likely happen.
Build a Legal Defense With Your Lawyer
The most effective way to protect yourself against false sexual assault allegations is to start building your legal defense with your lawyer right away. Ignoring accusations only makes them harder to beat. A lawyer guides you through each step, reviews your situation closely, and identifies legal options that fit what really happened.
Alibi Defense
An alibi means you were somewhere else when the alleged assault happened. Your lawyer can help gather evidence such as receipts, videos, or witnesses who saw you at another location.
Producing proof you weren’t at the crime scene weakens the accusation. Documenting your movements on the day in question is usually the first step if this fits your situation.
Consent
In some accusations, the people involved actually engaged in consensual acts. Your lawyer can help you organize any messages, photographs, or witness statements that provide context for your interactions.
Prior conversations, texts, or social media messages may all help explain what really happened. This approach requires showing there was agreement between both parties.
Showing a Motive to Fabricate
False reports sometimes happen to innocent people due to motives like anger, jealousy, revenge, or family court disputes. Your lawyer might uncover history between you and the accuser, or other motivations for them to make an accusation. Evidence. like text messages, emails, or public social media, may show an argument, break-up, custody battle, or other circumstances that suggest a reason to fabricate.
Contact the Indianapolis Rape Defense Attorney at Suhre & Associates DUI and Criminal Defense Lawyers for Help Today
Defending against false calls for sexual assault is complex. The right legal help considers all possible errors and outside motives.
Ultimately, the most important step you can take is to speak with an experienced Indianapolis rape defense lawyer right away. Suhre & Associates DUI and Criminal Defense Lawyers is here to help protect your rights. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation with a criminal defense lawyer.
For more information, contact the sex crimes attorneys at Suhre & Associates DUI and Criminal Defense Lawyers. Give us a call today at (317) 759-2599 or visit us at our Indianapolis law office.
Suhre & Associates DUI and Criminal Defense Lawyers – Indianapolis
101 W Ohio St #2000,
Indianapolis, In 46204
(317) 759-2599
