adminSukulwenkosi Dube Plumtree correspondent
A PLUMTREE magistrate has ordered a probe on police officers based at Mphoengs base following reports that they assaulted a rape suspect and forced him to admit to the crime.The suspect, Mengezi Gumede, 20, told magistrate Gideon Ruvetsa that two unidentified police officers pounced on him in a bid to force him to admit to raping a 13-year-old girl.
“The police officers slapped me several times on the face. They wanted me to admit that I had raped the complainant,” said Gumede.
He said when he arrived at the police station one officer asked why he had been arrested and “I told him that I was being accused of rape but I had not committed the offence”.
Gumede said the police officer “turned on me and started beating me up together with another officer. They ordered me to admit that I had committed the offence”.
He went on: “I don’t know their names, your worship, but I can positively identify them if I see them.”
Ruvetsa then ordered the prosecutor to investigate the assault allegations and remanded Gumede to July 25.
Prosecuting, Jane Phiri said Gumede allegedly committed the crime sometime between January and May this year.
She said Gumede called the girl from the same area to his bedroom and raped her before threatening to beat her up if she disclosed the matter.
“This went on for a while but the juvenile remained quiet about the issue. The matter came to light after the juvenile’s aunt Meliwe Phuthi realised a change in her niece who had fallen pregnant,” said Phiri.
“She questioned the juvenile who revealed that she had been raped by Gumede several times.”
The matter was reported to the police resulting in Gumede’s arrest.
derick.khumalo