Teen admits rape claim was untrue
Father spends two-and-a-half years in custody on false allegations
According to the police, the man was released when new evidence came to light - including a diary entry or letter where the teen "contradicted the entire rape case".
A Swakopmund man spent nearly two-and-a-half years in police custody for what now deems to be a false rape claim.
This after a 15-year-old girl accused the man - her biological father - of rape in 2020. The man, who had been in custody ever since, was released on Monday, 23 January, after new evidence surfaced and the girl admitted that the claim was untrue.
The girl, who is in grade nine at Westside High School in Swakopmund, cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim.
The man was released because the Prosecutor-General declined to prosecute, with Erongo Police inspector Ileni Shapumba saying "new evidence came to light after the girl's mother allegedly found a diary or letter where she had written content that contradicted the entire rape case against the accused”.
It is alleged that the 15-year-old also accused her school's principal and a “Navy man” of being in cahoots. She accused them of calling her into the principal's office and bribing her to withdraw the case against her father. However, CCTV footage proved that this was untrue.
Not the first time
In a statement, Westside High School's William Innes said: “In my capacity as the head of department and being responsible for school discipline, I encountered a case involving the [girl] in 2018. The life skills teacher called on my assistance regarding a building case.
"The [girl], who was in grade five at the time, claimed that two boys in grade eight had been bullying her. After extensively questioning the boys and even involving the parents, the boys still refuted the allegations.
"The [girl] maintained that the boys were indeed bullying her with their belts, even calling in witnesses to the bullying. After I investigated the claim at length, I started having doubts. Then one of the witnesses came forth to say that the [girl] paid them to say that the boys were bullying her, and that none of the story was true”.
Since her father's release, the girl has not returned to school.
Principal Veneza Rheeder said she cannot allow the child back until she receives a psychiatric assessment. “We are not showing her away or denying her. However, we need to protect our reputation as well as the boy child. If she could handpick me, the head of the institution, I am afraid of what could happen with her own peers."
This after a 15-year-old girl accused the man - her biological father - of rape in 2020. The man, who had been in custody ever since, was released on Monday, 23 January, after new evidence surfaced and the girl admitted that the claim was untrue.
The girl, who is in grade nine at Westside High School in Swakopmund, cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim.
The man was released because the Prosecutor-General declined to prosecute, with Erongo Police inspector Ileni Shapumba saying "new evidence came to light after the girl's mother allegedly found a diary or letter where she had written content that contradicted the entire rape case against the accused”.
It is alleged that the 15-year-old also accused her school's principal and a “Navy man” of being in cahoots. She accused them of calling her into the principal's office and bribing her to withdraw the case against her father. However, CCTV footage proved that this was untrue.
Not the first time
In a statement, Westside High School's William Innes said: “In my capacity as the head of department and being responsible for school discipline, I encountered a case involving the [girl] in 2018. The life skills teacher called on my assistance regarding a building case.
"The [girl], who was in grade five at the time, claimed that two boys in grade eight had been bullying her. After extensively questioning the boys and even involving the parents, the boys still refuted the allegations.
"The [girl] maintained that the boys were indeed bullying her with their belts, even calling in witnesses to the bullying. After I investigated the claim at length, I started having doubts. Then one of the witnesses came forth to say that the [girl] paid them to say that the boys were bullying her, and that none of the story was true”.
Since her father's release, the girl has not returned to school.
Principal Veneza Rheeder said she cannot allow the child back until she receives a psychiatric assessment. “We are not showing her away or denying her. However, we need to protect our reputation as well as the boy child. If she could handpick me, the head of the institution, I am afraid of what could happen with her own peers."
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