Teenage girl: Policeman raped her after she reported sexual abuse by father (Cape Town, South Africa)

Horrifying story.

http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/2011/09/29/cop-in-court-for-allegedly-raping-teenager

Cop in court for allegedly raping teenager
NASHIRA DAVIDS and PHILANI NOMBEMBE | 29 September, 2011 00:32

A Cape Town teenage girl has accused a policeman of raping her twice on the day she went to him to allege that her father had been sexually abusing her for nine months.

The 15-year-old lives in Woodlands, Mitchells Plain, where domestic violence and sexual abuse are reportedly spiralling out of control.

Yesterday, the policeman - a "highly respected" member of the Family Violence, Child Abuse and Sexual Offences Unit - appeared in the Mitchells Plain Magistrate's Court to apply for bail.

But he will remain in custody until the case returns to court on October 6.

The officer, who cannot be named because he is yet to plead, chatted and joked with colleagues while waiting for the hearing to begin. His family and friends filled the public gallery.

Police say the teenager first broke her silence about her father's alleged abuse at the Mitchells Plain police station on September 5.

She told officers that she had been repeatedly raped by her 37-year-old father. Her father was arrested and the case was investigated by the accused officer's unit.

But it was in her dealings with this unit that the girl's nightmare is said to have continued.

"On Monday September 19, at 8.45pm, the same 15-year-old victim alleged that she was raped by the detective who investigated her rape case," said police spokesman Captain FC van Wyk.

"According to [the teenager], the detective, a 31-year-old male, interviewed her in his office, where he then forced himself on her and raped her on three occasions."

The girl alleged that she was raped twice by the officer on the day that she said her father had raped her. On September 9, she alleged, the officer raped her again.

But in court yesterday the officer said he would plead not guilty to the three rape charges.

He said he had heard about the child's case from a social worker before interviewing her at school on September 5. After that, he told the court, he took her to his office to prepare a statement.

He said he took her home and then to a hospital for an examination in the company of her grandmother.

But the prosecution alleges that he raped the teenager without a condom.

The investigating officer opposed bail, saying he believed that the accused would interfere with his alleged victim.

"I'm not dangerous. My superior at work said he would make means for me go and work at another police station . I will not threaten the complainant," the officer told the court.

"I'm a breadwinner and I have a family that I'm supposed to support. My wife is studying and I'm paying her fees. I'm renting the house that I stay in. I also have accounts to pay, including my loans."

Crime statistics released earlier this month reveal that more than 500 sex crimes were reported in Mitchells Plain alone in the year to March.

Michael Jacobs, chairman of the local community policing forum , said many, if not most, of the victims were minors.

"We are very disturbed by this allegation - that the very person who is tasked with protecting our children could have done something like this," said Jacobs.

"We have been trying to build a positive relationship [between] the community and the police. I fear that this could be a severe setback in the community's trust in our officers."

Jacobs said the Mitchells Plain's Family Violence, Child Abuse and Sexual Offences Unit was "probably one of the best" of its kind in Western Cape. He said it had an "excellent track record" and was in good standing with both the community and the Department of Social Development.

Of the detective, who had been in the police force for 10 years, he said: "He is a good detective and has done excellent work in the past. He is trustworthy and an excellent worker. At the moment, it is still an allegation, so one cannot crucify him.''

Jacobs said he had received numerous phone calls about the case from outraged residents.

The investigation has been referred to Bellville police station on the instructions of provincial police commissioner Arno Lamoer.

Pastor Alfonso Schilder, of Mount Hope Church, Woodlands, said many rapes in the area were not reported.

"In some areas in Woodlands, especially where the flats are, there are many social ills. The unemployment rate is high; there are dysfunctional families and many single parents. Often, rape is not reported because drug dealers are involved and they would threaten the victims," he said.

"There are also incidents of incest, but these things are swept under the carpet. Unfortunately, the abnormalities have become the norm here. This case involving the 15-year-old really angers me. We can only continue to educate and support such victims."