Wife of fire chief turned detective to get husband freed from jail after false historic sex abuse claim
Accuser sent letter saying: "You will pay for what you have done"
THE wife of a fire chief jailed after he was wrongly-accused of raping a 14-year-old boy has revealed how she turned detective to free her husband.
Lynn Bryant was devastated when her husband David, 66, was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years for a crime he didn't commit.
The couple had received a chilling letter from accuser Daniel Day which read: "You will pay for what you've done" and made the sickening accusation of sexual abuse.
Brave Mrs Bryant, 53, put together a team of lawyers and private investigators to show Mr Day was a chronic liar - who had medical help for a condition which caused his behaviour.
Mr Bryant served three years in prison before his conviction was quashed thanks to his wife's work.
Mr Day, now 53 and living in Bromley, Kent, accused Mr Bryant of raping him at a fire station more than 35 years ago.
He claimed the decorated fire chief and man of "impeccable character" abused him after inviting him back to play darts.
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Mr Day alleged that the attack took place in Christchurch, Dorset, where he grew up and was working as a bottle washer in a bar at the time.
Mr Bryant would regularly drink in the pub - and was accused of raping the then 14-year-old on an unspecified date between 1976 and 1978.
Mr Day, who waived his right to anonymity as an alleged sex abuse victim, said Mr Byrant and another fireman named Dennis Goodman raped him over a pool table.
Mr Goodman is no longer alive.
Mr Day posted the Bryants a letter in 2012 telling them he would be telling the police and the media about the alleged rape.
It read: "Dave, its Danny Day. 35 yrs ago I used to collect the glasses in the Legion and I am the same one that you ... played darts with in the fire station (remember!)
"At 6 o'clock tonight, I am going to the police station to report what went on and at 7 to the national papers. I think it is time you and me had a chat."
The haunting letter finished off with: "One way or another you will pay for what you've done."
Mrs Bryant, who went to school with Day, said: "Danny Day is an evil man. He was just after the money".
The ex-fireman and his wife believe Day made the claims to extort money - and is believed to have received £50,000 as victim of crime thanks to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme.
Speaking about their ordeal, Mrs Bryant told the : "We made a conscious decision to stay strong. I continued to fight to get Dave cleared because it was so wrong."
Despite the fact Day had no evidence to prove his claims - Mr Bryant was charged with buggery in 2013.
Day didn't report his claim until 2012 after "he was motivated to come forward in the aftermath of the Jimmy Savile affair", the Court of Appeal heard.
At the time of the alleged rape Mr Bryant was aged just 26 and has led an "exemplary life".
During the trial cops had not obtained medical records that showed Day was a "chronic" liar, and had sought medical help for it between 2000 and 2010.
Mrs Bryant also discovered cops had been using old plans for the fire station - showing a different blueprint that didn't match up to Day's description.
A pool table where he claimed he was raped was not purchased until 1992.
Mr Bryant was found guilty of sexual assault by a majority verdict in December 2013 and was jailed for eight-and-a-half years in January 2014.
Prosecutors had made a £200,000 civil claim against the Bryant's and Dorset County Council.
Day started civil action claiming he was unable to pursue a boxing career because of the mental strain he suffered.
But Mrs Bryant's investigators revealed that his claims he had quit the British boxing team at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics out of fear Mr Bryant would recognise him on TV were false.
The Bryants want him to be investigated for perverting the course of justice, and said Dorset Police had not done a proper job of investigating the claims.
A spokesman for Dorset Police said: 'Dorset Police takes allegations of this nature very seriously and conducted a very thorough and detailed investigation.
'The findings of the investigation were passed on to the Crown Prosecution Service who chose to prosecute.
'We are yet to receive formal notification of the ruling from the Court of Appeal. When this is received we will consider the findings in full.'