False complaints of sexual assault: recovered memories of childhood sexual abuse.

False complaints are easily made and carry serious consequences for the accused. Many of those who make false claims sincerely believe the truth of what they report. Some are opportunistic and are consciously lying for personal gain. A special type of false allegation, the false memory syndrome, arises typically within therapy. People report the 'recovery' of memories of previously unknown childhood sexual abuse. The influence of practitioners' beliefs and practices in the eliciting of false 'memories' and of false complaints cannot be overlooked. The problems of diagnosis, issues of confidentiality and the role of the expert witness as court educator are discussed.