Every few weeks we hear some news item about 'Nick' the false witness who persuaded over eager police officers to conduct an expensive witch hunt against innocent elderly and formerly prominent men.
The targets of Nick's accusations have suffered great hurt, and Harvey Proctor lost his job as a result of the fuss. They should at least have a chance to sue for damage sustained, but it is hard for them to do that if Nick''s identity is secret.
Police justify publishing the names of suspects by saying that it encourages other victims to come forward. It might similarly be argued that publishing the identities of alleged victims might encourage people who know some of those victims to be dishonest or untruthful to come forward with evidence of their mendacity.
In both cases there are also reasons for not publishing the names. A compromise might be to treat accusers and accused alike and either disclose all names, or keep all secret.
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