Woman faces arrest as she lies under oath about rape, kidnapping
The student of St Anthony’s Education Centre, who cried rape and abduction, could be arrested and charged with perjury.
This comes after she apparently lied under oath about being raped.
According to the Reiger Park SAPS spokesperson, Sgt Mashudu Phathela, the Reiger Park police are due to arrest the complainant for allegedly lying to the police, making false rape allegations, wasting police manpower and resources, as well as damaging the credibility of rape victims.
According to a complaint filed at the Reiger Park Police Station, the student went to the police station on Monday morning, February 1, to report that she and her two schoolmates were allegedly kidnapped and gang-raped.
She told the police that they were walking home from the school, along Archie Jonas Street, when they were allegedly abducted by four armed men on Saturday afternoon, January 30.
Her account even included the car the attackers were driving in – a white van. She described the said attackers as being three coloured men and one black man, who pulled over next to them in the van and abducted them at gunpoint.
The woman stated that the thugs drove them to a nearby isolated area, where they were then tied with ropes, drugged and held hostage, before the attackers repeatedly took turns to rape them throughout the weekend.
The 18-year-old woman claimed that she managed to untie the rope and escape at about 3am, on Monday, February 1, adding that the attackers opened fire on her as she was fleeing from their clutches.
She told the police that the other two women were still held hostage in the bushes, but she did not remember where exactly.
On the basis of the woman’s complaint, a case of kidnapping and gang rape was registered, and investigations were immediately initiated.
The Gauteng SAPS deployed more teams and a police helicopter across the bushy areas to search for the two missing women and the thugs.
Also involved in the search were the Dog Unit, an SAPS search-and-rescue team, the Reiger Park SAPS and others.
However, when officers contacted the families of the other two women, they began to doubt the complainant’s version of events, as they found some inconsistencies with the statement.
Investigators contacted the families of the missing students and discovered that the missing women were actually at home with their families.
They told the police that they had no idea what the third woman had told the police.
The SAPS discovered that the women, who were supposedly kidnapped, were at home over the weekend and were never abducted or gang raped, as reported by their schoolmate.
The women came forward and told the police that the third woman probably fabricated the story to cover up something, because as far as they knew, she spent the weekend with her boyfriend.
Police are now convinced that the woman invented the rape and they have opened a perjury docket.
This will lead to a possible arrest. It is believed the woman fabricated the story so that she would not get into trouble with her parents for not coming home over the weekend. Detectives are still to interview the so-called rape victim regarding the new information.
Sgt Phathela said the woman appeared traumatised with untidy hair and clothes, which was probable done in an attempt to convince police officers that she had been attacked at gunpoint and raped.
“Although her story hadn’t hurt anyone, her behaviour is unacceptable and is a punishable offence.
“Cases of perverting the course of justice that involves allegedly false rape allegations are taken very seriously; so I urge members of the public to refrain from filing false reports and wasting police resources.
“Such behaviour can be hugely problematic and lead to many personal and professional issues for the accused, even when the police have proven that they did nothing wrong and are not a sex offender,” said Sgt Phathela.
Sgt Phathela admitted that they have, in the past, encountered similar problems where people come to the station to file false reports, accusing someone of a crime they have not committed.
He added that the time has come to deal with this problem with an iron hand. Sgt Phathela, however, stated that this should not dissuade any potential victim from coming forward to report crime, sexual assault in particular. -@FanieFLK
Three women reportedly kidnapped, gang-raped
