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	Police Will Charge 'Victims' of False Cases By Jeff Wicks IOL September 26, 2007 http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=15&art_id=vn20070926044107890C434295 Police have issued a stern warning to people laying false complaints, saying they will face criminal charges and civil claims should they be exposed. According to the police, five false cases were reported in Durban within a few days this month. The fraudulent complaints were uncovered by investigating officers soon after they were reported three weeks ago. In one case, on September 4, a man alleged he was hijacked by three gunmen near the Butterworth Hotel in Field Street. However, on investigation police discovered that the man had been inside the hotel when the car had been stolen from outside the establishment. Five days later a man reported that he had been robbed of his laptop computer at gunpoint while parked at the intersection of Broad and West streets. Investigations revealed that the man had given his laptop to a friend while he reported a case of armed robbery to defraud his insurance company. On September 13 a woman alleged she had been raped by a priest. She said she was taken to a beach by a priest who she consulted to exorcise a demon that had apparently possessed her. According to the woman, the priest told her that they needed to have intercourse to get rid of the demon. When police investigated the claim, it was revealed that no rape had occurred and that the woman had been coerced into laying the charge. The police have opened defeating the ends of justice charges against the "victims". In addition, civil claims could be instituted to recover the costs involved. Police Superintendent Vincent Mdunge said that false reports impacted on crime statistics and created an inaccurate picture of the crime situation. "People who falsely report cases will have to look over their shoulders at every turn. We will take the necessary steps to bring them to justice," he said. Contact: jeff.wicks@inl.co.za
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