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Allegations
of Sexual Abuse in NZ |
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Four out of every five rape
complaints made on the Hibiscus Coast are false police say. Detective Sheryl Birrell says Orewa police
have dealt with 11 [eleven] rape complaints in the last year. Only two were proved. Ms Birrell says false allegations waste a
lot of police time. She says Orewa police
are so sick of fake rape calls they are taking complainants to court and
charging the complainants with making false statements. Ms Birrell says the courts are not tough
enough. Defendants are made to pay back medical
examination costs - usually $600 - and are often discharged without
conviction or fine. Her comments follow a
case where a 17-year-old Whangaparoa girl accused six Helensville men of
abducting and raping her. Police have
since charged her with making a false statement. Ms Birrell says there
is no distinct profile for false complainants. Past incidents dealt
with by Orewa police involve women aged from 13 to 42. Some complaints are made to set-up
ex-partners while others are made by young girls as excuses for arriving home
late from parties, Ms Birrell says.
Women have also used rape to explain away infidelity to their
partners. Many are cases of boredom,
she says. It's a quiet town with
not many nightclubs. Ms Birrell
says most rape accusations take 10 hours to investigate and are usually laid
in the early hours of the morning. I
don't want to get out of bed for a false complaint. It's a waste of our time. |
