This must be because even they cannot think the public will accept 18-1 as "you will be believed". 18 times you won't.

I always wondered about that "you will believed" line. Why? They never believe murderers when they deny guilt or robbers or frauds or drug smugglers or muggers of old ladies.

"We don't believe you", they say.

So why always believe false accusers or exaggerators or inflators or the deluded?

Because it was a better story, that's why. The police and CPS love a "famous person is vile pervert" headline as much as the rest of us.

They certainly didn't believe me when I said "I didn't do it" 14 years ago. But that was then. Jurors tended to believe the non evidence way back then (similar stories concocted between police interviewers and "victims").

Now, however, jurors didn't believe William Roache's false accusers. Or Michael Le Vell's. Or Andrew Lancel's. Or Dave Lee Travis's. Or 18 of Stuart Hall's.

And even police and CPS didn't believe the false accusers of Freddie Starr or Jim Davidson or Jimmy Tarbuck or all the others.

The police and CPS must be starting to think that perhaps this blissfully easy way to attract great media coverage and boost conviction rates isn't so believable anymore.

So instead of encouraging false accusers to commit crimes (something I always found odd and difficult for police and CPS to justify), the statement is now less "you will be believed" and more "thoroughly investigated".

Of course, they could boost conviction rates by prosecuting false accusers. Like they did that mad woman who accused The Hamiltons (thoroughly backed and encouraged by the Reverend Max Clifford). She ended up doing a stretch, I seem to remember. Prosecute more liars, CPS, and bung in a few "helpful" cops too, if there are any left after HillsboroughGate, PlebGate, BlakelockGate and the FederationGate.

A "thorough" investigation into DCI Brian Marjoram (who failed to find Milly Dowler's killer for years, allowing him to murder two other girls) might be a good place to start.