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Allegations
of Sexual Abuse in NZ |
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A woman who claimed she
was raped by a taxi driver then made to pay a $30 fare never actually took a
taxi home on the day in question, police say. They have charged the
woman, 23, with making a false rape complaint after they wasted 100 hours
investigating it. She will appear in Wellington District Court next week. The revelation that the
complaint was false was met with relief by taxi industry representatives, who
say they are worried it is becoming all too easy to smear taxi drivers. The woman had claimed
she was raped in the back of a taxi in Arthur Carman St, Johnsonville, near
her home, about 8.30am on August 6. Despite extensive police inquiries, no
one on the busy suburban street heard or saw the alleged attack. Detective Senior
Sergeant Shane Cotter said inquiries revealed the woman had not used a taxi
that morning. The decision to charge her was not taken lightly, but it was frustrating
to have wasted so much time on the inquiry in what was a particularly busy
weekend for police. As well as police time,
which could amount to $5000, an after-hours doctor and a counsellor had to be
called. The woman underwent a medical examination at a cost of about $1500.
However, the cost of the inquiry was not a significant factor in the decision
to charge the woman, Mr Cotter said. Laying a charge of
making a false rape complaint was rare in Wellington. He could think of only
one similar incident in recent years. Police do not keep
separate statistics for false rape complaints, but lay about 450
false-complaint charges nationally each year. Taxi Federation
executive director Tim Reddish said he was "frustrated" by the
complaint. "In the industry,
we're disappointed we've been through all the criticism and fear created
through this." Wellington City Cabs
manager Arthur Attrill said that "nine out of 10" such complaints
against taxi drivers were false. "They seem to be
becoming more and more prevalent. This one created a lot of discussion."
Regency Cabs
spokeswoman Jane Coleman said the complaint was a poor reflection on society.
"It's quite sad it's so easy to do something like this to poor taxi
drivers." Mr Cotter said police
would continue to investigate every rape complaint seriously. "We don't
want to discourage people from coming forward for fear of prosecution (if the
allegation was found to be untrue). We weigh up everything before laying
charges like this." |
