Woman: False rape complaint
The Nelson Mail
The Nelson Mail
April 17 2007
Anger and relief
Editorial
Residents of Papakura, Auckland, felt scared and apprehensive after claims that a gun-toting rapist had struck in their area, the Nelson Mail said in an editorial on Tuesday.
A 41-year-old woman told police late last week that a well-dressed Maori or Pacific Islander posing as an undercover policeman knocked on her door, threatened her with a gun and sexually violated her.
Naturally, residents feared he would strike again unless quickly identified and captured. But alarm turned to anger on Sunday after police revealed the woman was being charged with making a false claim, and there was no armed rapist after all.
The community outrage is understandable. Residents in the vicinity of the alleged attack had been needlessly frightened. Significant police resources had been diverted. Worse, false rape complaints seem to happen quite often.
It would be most unfortunate if rape victims opted not to report genuine attacks because they feared being disbelieved as a result of cases like this.
They face enough stress and strain in the event of their allegation going to trial as it is. However, the more appropriate community response should be relief that the alleged attack did not happen.
Though the full story has yet to come out and perhaps never will, there might also be a tinge of pity for the complainant.
Police describe the case as sad and tragic. Her claim may well have been a cry for help. Regardless of the Papakura incident, rape is among the gravest of crimes and investigating such claims must always have priority.
The police cannot let their response to future complaints be affected by any climate of scepticism generated by cases like this one.
Manawatu Standard
April 17 2007
Lasting damage of false rape claim
Editorial by Ewan Sargent
Police say a woman who claimed she had been raped by a man posing as a plain clothes police officer was telling lies and she has been referred to "appropriate health professionals".
The visibly relieved policeman running the case told us that he could allay fears of any gun-toting rapist running around.
The attack didn't happen, he said. It was a sad, tragic case, and the woman whose claims had kept 30 police busy over three days had "some issues to say the least".
And so ended the first part of a particularly grim case for a number of reasons.
It's still grim for the woman involved, who now faces court charges over making a false complaint, plus the internal anguish she must already be going through anyway.
It's also grim because of the damage that all false rape and sexual attack claimants do to genuine victims.
It makes their attempts to have their story heard and believed, and to tap in to support, that much harder.
People are quick to feel sympathy for a rape victim and anger for the rapist. But they are also quick to feel anger if it turns out they were duped and their sympathy was pointless.
Women who falsely claim they were raped and sexually attacked undermine this sympathy and feed baseless stereotypes of behaviour that some men tend to support.
That's the negative side of this case, but the good side is how quickly police were able to reassure the public that no police officer was involved and that no one had impersonated a police officer, either.
Neither the police, nor the public need another issue of police-linked rape claims dominating our headlines once again.
Obviously, there's a likelihood that the recent high- publicity trials concerning police officers and rape could have had some influence in this latest case.
It's an issue that's been well aired and the police face a lot of ground to cover to win back some of the respect they must have lost through those trials. As with false rape complainants, the bad taint the good.
We should continue to judge the police on the vast majority of good officers and support rape complainants based on the vast majority of genuine victims.
The Southland Times
April 17 2007
Police won't pursue cost of investigating rape claim
by Kim Ruscoe
Police say they will not try to reclaim the "huge" amount spent investigating a Papakura woman's allegedly false rape complaint.
The woman, who said she was raped at gunpoint by a man claiming to be a police officer, cried when she appeared in the Papakura District Court yesterday, a day after being charged with making a false complaint.
A team of 30 police spent three days investigating her claim.
But inquiry head Detective Senior Sergeant Neil Grimstone said yesterday police would not pursue the costs if the woman was convicted.
"It's not a realistic thing to ask for, it's such a huge figure no judge will award it anyway," he said.
Police have previously costed their time at $80 an hour, with medical expenses as much as $1500, putting the cost of the latest case at possibly $60,000.
The woman had told police an armed man posing as a plainclothes police officer had "tricked" his way into her Papakura flat on Thursday, saying he was conducting routine inquiries and calling her by name.
She claimed that once he was inside, she was stripped naked and repeatedly violated for almost three hours.
The woman, 41, wiped a tear from her face as she stood in the dock at court yesterday charged with making a false complaint.
She was granted interim name suppression because a relative had just been told she had a terminal illness and it would be a shock for her to learn of the charges.
She was given bail by justice of the peace Tony Charman, who ordered her to live at an address in Papakura, report twice a week to police and stay away from illicit drugs and alcohol.
The court was told the woman had been seen by a forensic psychiatrist who had mentioned a dependency on alcohol and drugs in his letter to the court.
She will reappear in court on May 3.
Shortly afterwards, a man and woman believed to be the woman's relatives stormed from the court and barged their way through waiting media.
The man ran down the shop-lined street, turned, ran back in front of a television camera, then jumped in a passing police car. The woman continued walking down the street but refused to comment.
Minutes later, the accused woman was rushed from the courtroom under police escort, hiding her face and carrying a plastic police-issue bag containing her possessions.
She refused to make any comment as she was walked around the corner to the police station.
After the hearing the woman's lawyer, Colin Amery, said the woman was "bearing up" .
If found guilty, she could be sentenced to a maximum of three months' jail or a fine of up to $2000.
The Dominion Post
April 17 2007
Bail for false-rape accused
by Kim Ruscoe
Police say they will not seek to reclaim the "huge" amount spent investigating a Papakura woman's allegedly false rape complaint.
The woman, who said she was raped at gunpoint by a man claiming to be a police officer, cried when she appeared in Papakura District Court yesterday, a day after being charged with making a false complaint. Thirty police spent three days investigating her claim.
Inquiry head Detective Senior Sergeant Neil Grimstone said yesterday that police would not pursue the costs if the woman was convicted.
"It's not a realistic thing to ask for, it's such a huge figure no judge will award it anyway." Police have previously costed their time at $80 an hour, with medical expenses as much as $1500, putting the cost of the latest case at possibly $60,000.
The woman had told police an armed man posing as a plainclothes police officer had "tricked" his way into her Papakura flat on Thursday, saying he was conducting routine inquiries and calling her by name.
She claimed that once he was inside, she was stripped naked and repeatedly violated for almost three hours.
The woman, 41, wiped away a tear as she stood in the dock yesterday charged with making a false complaint.
She was granted interim name suppression because a relative had just been told she had a terminal illness and it would be a shock for her to learn of the charges.
She was given bail by justice of the peace Tony Charman, who ordered her to live at an address in Papakura, report twice a week to police and stay away from illicit drugs and alcohol.
The court was told that the woman had been seen by a forensic psychiatrist who had mentioned a dependency on alcohol and drugs in his letter to the court. She is to reappear in court on May 3.
Soon afterward, a man and woman believed to be the woman's relatives, stormed from the court and barged through waiting media.
The man ran down the shop-lined street, turned, ran back in front of a television camera, then jumped in a passing police car. The woman continued walking down the street and refused to comment.
Minutes later, the accused woman was rushed from the courtroom under police escort, hiding her face with a bail bond and carrying a plastic police-issue bag containing her possessions.
She refused to comment as she was walked around the corner to the police station.
After the hearing the woman's lawyer, Colin Amery, said the woman was "bearing up".
If found guilty, the woman could be sentenced to a maximum of three months in jail or a fine of up to $2000.
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CAPTION:
On bail: The accused leaves Papakura District Court under police escort. She has been ordered to report to police twice a week.
Picture: JOHN SELKIRK
The woman, who said she was raped at gunpoint by a man claiming to be a police officer, cried when she appeared in Papakura District Court yesterday, a day after being charged with making a false complaint. Thirty police spent three days investigating her claim.
Inquiry head Detective Senior Sergeant Neil Grimstone said yesterday that police would not pursue the costs if the woman was convicted.
"It's not a realistic thing to ask for, it's such a huge figure no judge will award it anyway." Police have previously costed their time at $80 an hour, with medical expenses as much as $1500, putting the cost of the latest case at possibly $60,000.
The woman had told police an armed man posing as a plainclothes police officer had "tricked" his way into her Papakura flat on Thursday, saying he was conducting routine inquiries and calling her by name.
She claimed that once he was inside, she was stripped naked and repeatedly violated for almost three hours.
The woman, 41, wiped away a tear as she stood in the dock yesterday charged with making a false complaint.
She was granted interim name suppression because a relative had just been told she had a terminal illness and it would be a shock for her to learn of the charges.
She was given bail by justice of the peace Tony Charman, who ordered her to live at an address in Papakura, report twice a week to police and stay away from illicit drugs and alcohol.
The court was told that the woman had been seen by a forensic psychiatrist who had mentioned a dependency on alcohol and drugs in his letter to the court. She is to reappear in court on May 3.
Soon afterward, a man and woman believed to be the woman's relatives, stormed from the court and barged through waiting media.
The man ran down the shop-lined street, turned, ran back in front of a television camera, then jumped in a passing police car. The woman continued walking down the street and refused to comment.
Minutes later, the accused woman was rushed from the courtroom under police escort, hiding her face with a bail bond and carrying a plastic police-issue bag containing her possessions.
She refused to comment as she was walked around the corner to the police station.
After the hearing the woman's lawyer, Colin Amery, said the woman was "bearing up".
If found guilty, the woman could be sentenced to a maximum of three months in jail or a fine of up to $2000.
---------------
CAPTION:
On bail: The accused leaves Papakura District Court under police escort. She has been ordered to report to police twice a week.
Picture: JOHN SELKIRK
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