Victim of rugby players’ rape breaks the ice
The victim of rugby players’ gang rape has broken the ice in the court that she was offered money for hiding the incident.
An unnamed 29-year-old woman revealed that she was gang raped by four members of the foreign team on Friday, 15th April at Protea Hotel in Sea Point. Two of the rapists were arrested on Saturday and they appeared before court on Monday.
The statement of victim was read in the court by the investigation officer Mzukisi Tswina after the alleged rapists filed a writ petition in the magistrate court for their bail. Investigative officer told the court that Santiago Di-Meo a Uruguayan and Ramiro
Racioppi, an Argentinean player who play for Lobos tried to convince the 29-year-old woman with money for not publicising the incident.
Tswina unveiled that four foreigners met her in Long Street and she went with them to the Protea Hotel for celebrations and drinking. After drinking so much she fell asleep and next morning, she was in pain. They made her the victim of their brutality while
sleeping and when she tried to call the police they stopped her to do so.
Tswina further told that team management interfere the matter and manager of the hotel was called there to solve the matter and they offered her money but she denied. The hotel manager verified that foreign team offered her money to end the wrangle.
The defending attorney Pete Milhalik denied the charges and said that girl was blackmailing the foreign players.
He told Tswina, “Something you forgot … is that the team management called the hotel manager because they were having a problem with a girl who did not want to leave. The second issue that struck me is the complainant said she fell asleep. How many times
have you heard of rape victims falling asleep? Did she not shout for help or fight them, did she do anything besides fall asleep?”
Tswina argued that, “She just told me that she was too drunk and that she went back to sleep.”
The court has postponed the bail application of the accused because the severity of the case.
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