A Zurich court said the then-14-year-old girl’s claims had a high probability of credibility and sentenced her stepfather to three years in prison, while her mother received a 22-month sentence in July 2021.
This was despite her teachers telling the court that she was known to lie regularly and had spoken about hearing voices in her head.
Following an appeal at the High Court in 2023, the stepfather was sentenced to 50 months for aggravated assault and multiple counts of child sexual abuse, while the mother received 47 months for aiding and abetting.
Now aged 19, the teenager has withdrawn her allegations, and the High Court has since overturned her parents’ convictions, Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger reports.
In her confession, she said she had lied because she only wanted her freedom, according to the publication. She also said she never intended to file a police report at the time.
The Zurich juvenile prosecutor’s office has since opened a criminal investigation into the young woman for false accusation, obstruction of justice and unlawful deprivation of liberty.
A preliminary investigation confirmed the authenticity of her confession and found no evidence that she had been pressured to retract her accusations.
Following her confession, questions are being raised over how the teenager managed to deceive authorities.
Her original allegations included being punched and kicked, as well as being beaten with a vacuum cleaner and chairs by her mother and stepfather.
She also alleged that her stepfather sexually assaulted her in the living room and garden and told the court she would wear multiple layers of clothing to protect herself from the alleged abuse.
Her false accusations led to her and her younger siblings being placed in foster care.
