false acusations - sex scandal?

[Ryan]

So someone posted annonymously on a twitter acount that a teacher (no names were mentioned) had sex with a student a really long time ago. The twitter page would receive this sort of annoymous messages which then they would post on the account. It was a pretty good system. The thing is this is an acussation that could be or could not be true. What would happen to the student if the authorities found out who posted it. Like they did it without knowing for certain that was a fact? what happens to the student? how much trouble is that person in? im really curious about this, no one has been able to give me a good answer! hope you can!

[john]

That would depend on the public reaction to the accusation. If the Teacher loses his/her job, is divorced by their partner, and finds him/her self a person of ridicule and has to avoid any social groups such as clubs, churches, volunteer clubs etc, then the person making these accusations, whether they are true or not, will face a heck of a damages claim. Few people realise that even if comments made about a person are true, they can still face legal action for publicising those comments. For example, a woman may have been a prostitute 10 years ago. Unless her former prostitution is relevant to her present situation she could still sue the person for harm done to her reputation. Most likely this tweet will have already been forgotten.

The opinion of most Judges today seems to be that even if accusations made about people are true, if the subject involves consenting adults, people have no right invading peoples privacy and exposing those activities.

[Petrusclavus]

In the UK that is criminal libel. I believe in the USA the police will investigate and an unsubstantiated accusation is going to lead to a prosecution.