Apology for false rape rejected

Sunday Star Times
April 22 2007

Apology for false rape rejected
by Leigh Van der Stoep

Neighbours and police have rejected an apology by the south Auckland woman who falsely claimed she was raped by an armed man posing as a plain-clothes policeman.
Sources estimate the cost of the three-day police investigation into the false complaint could be as high as $70,000.
In a letter to her neighbours, the 41-year-old, who has name suppression, said she was "so very sorry" for the "distress and disruption" her false complaint caused.
"I realise that my false complaint has caused unnecessary worry and anger for you and others in this community."
She also verbally apologised to police for wasting their time. But investigation head Detective Senior Sergeant Neil Grimstone said: "It's an apology, but at the end of the day it's too little too late."
The photocopied letter - obtained by the Sunday Star-Times - was distributed to the eight units in the Papakura block of flats where the woman claimed she was attacked.
She told police a man dressed in a suit tricked his way into her flat at lunchtime on Thursday April 12 and sexually violated her at gunpoint over 2<<1/2 hours.
The complaint sparked a three-day full-scale investigation by a team of 30 police officers.
Grimstone could not be drawn on the cost, but said it had been calculated "to the last cent". The information would be produced as part of the summary of facts during a court appearance next month.
Victim Support Counties Manukau manager Michael Donoghue said the false complaint could make rape victims reluctant to complain to police.
"Our fear would be that genuine victims may feel like they won't be taken seriously," he said.
In the apology letter, the woman said she never meant to "undermine the needs of (legitimate) victims or the professionalism of the NZ police".
She apologised to her neighbours for inviting "police presence and media intrusion".
"It is a basic right that all should feel comfortable and secure in their own homes. I realise that my false complaint has caused unnecessary worry and anger for you, and others in the community."
She said she would be moving out of the address "in due course".
"It is vital that you are happy with your neighbours as it is a caring and trusting environment."
The letters were handwritten and photocopied. Each was personally signed.
"Again, I am so very sorry for the damage my complaint has caused...
"I will be seeking professional help and wish you a peaceful return to normal life."
One neighbour, who wanted to be known only as Brian, replied to her.
"I just told her to keep her head up and be strong," he said.
He invited her to contact him if she needed support.
"Everybody needs someone to talk to."
Some neighbours were sympathetic to the woman's plight, but others were angry, he said.
Brian urged people not to judge the woman because no one knew the personal struggles she might be dealing with.
The Star-Times spoke to an elderly female neighbour who left her home in the days following the complaint. She was afraid the "attacker" would strike again and was upset by the media presence.
At the time, the complaint prompted Grimstone to warn women to check police credentials before opening their doors.
On Sunday the woman was charged with making a false statement to police. She spent the night in a police cell and appeared in Papakura District Court on Monday and was remanded on bail.
When asked if he knew whether the woman was staying with friends or family, Grimstone said: "I don't know and I don't care. Clearly this makes it difficult for genuine victims. And the other thing is, what about all the good people that those 30 police officers could have helped while they were tied up with this bloody fabrication."
The conditions of the woman's bail prevent her from drinking alcohol, taking illicit drugs, and entering licensed premises