No one should underestimate the seriousness of sexual assault. It is on top of the list of the most terrible incidents a person could go through. That's likely why anyone charged with a sex crime immediately faces a brutal stigma. But not everyone who is accused of rape is guilty of the offense.

A recent Tennessee situation exemplifies how some people become the wrongful targets of false accusations because someone is simply a liar. There might be many reasons for a person to make up a terrible story about a sex crime. In this case, the accuser says that it was basically disappointment that motivated her dishonesty.

Late last month, a Clarksville woman reported to authorities that she had met a man in person whom she met online and the meeting became violent. She claimed that she was raped by the online acquaintance. In response to the accusation, the suspect explained how he and the accuser had been together in a consensual way; he did not rape her.

Ultimately, the supposed victim backed up that story, taking back what she had said regarding the assault. Her lie not only put an innocent young man's future and reputation at risk, but it also lands her in the line of legal fire. She is charged with a false report, a false report she says she gave because she was disappointed in her experience with the suspect.

This might just be one example of a false rape claim, but it still goes to show that every suspect deserves a chance for the truth to come out before the system and society presumes he is guilty. Fortunately for the suspect in this case, the accuser told the truth before more damage was done and time and money were wasted.

Source: The Tennessean, "Clarksville woman makes false rape claim," Holly Hoechstenbach, Dec. 4, 2012