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The Dominion Post
April 14, 2003
Fiso's false accuser convincing say police
Police who investigated allegations of sex crimes against former Olympic
boxer Tone Fiso say the supposed victim had made a convincing case before
changing her story.
All charges against Mr Fiso were dropped last week.
Kapiti Mana police area controller John Spence said police took
"convincing complaints from the young woman in good faith, investigated
the complaints and subsequently made an arrest".
Mr Fiso spent more than two months in Rimutaka Prison on remand awaiting
trial on charges of rape, indecent assault and unlawful sexual connection.
The charges had been laid on February 3 after a female relative had
complained to police that Mr Fiso had committed horrific sex crimes on her
over a number of years.
The woman -- who cannot be named for legal reasons -- had in 1999 made false
allegations of a sexual nature against a female teacher but admitted later
they were not true.
Mr Fiso says the investigation, headed by Detective James McKay, was not
thorough enough.
Police should have checked the woman's history before they believed her story
and arrested him, he said.
Police withdrew the charges against Mr Fiso last Tuesday.
Mr Fiso plans to take his case to the Police Complaints Authority. He hopes
to receive an apology and some compensation for his ordeal.
Mr Spence said: "The arrest was based on the complaints made and the
information available at the time. As a result of the withdrawal of charges,
we will be looking into the circumstances surrounding the checks of past
allegations.
"Given that Mr Fiso may make a complaint to the Police Complaints
Authority we are unable to comment further at this stage," Mr Spence
said.
He had earlier said the charges were withdrawn "after the complainant
changed her account of what happened".
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