Comments at Village Voice about the Strauss-Kahn rape case:
cassandra777 Jul 15, 2011
The message, I hope, is that lying about being gang raped and lying to the grand jury about your rape accusations mean that you are not credible.
Of course its true that falsely claiming rape in the past doesn’t mean you can’t be raped, or that lying about circumstances surrounding your alleged rape doesn’t mean you were not raped…but it stretches credulity to the breaking point.
Heleen Mees Jul 15, 2011
The case should not be terminated because of the maid lying on her asylum application. After all that would mean that many asylum seekers would de facto be outlawed. But the maid also lied to the grand jury about her actions immediately after the incident. That is more serious. Moreover, she told the councillor in St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital right after the alleged attack that she stayed in the room and watched Mr. Strauss-Kahn getting dressed, which is not what she told the grand jury or the prosecution. Finally, her alleged injuries (a bruise on the vagina and a torn ligament) seem highly dubious. The DA’s office does not want to confirm them (while confirming that Mr. Strauss-Kahn did not incur any bruises or scratches), and according to the defense the medical report does not prove that force was used.
Rob Thorne Jul 15, 2011
“according to the defense the medical report does not prove that force was used.”If the defence lawyers had said there was proof of force, DSKwould be pleading guilty. It is a meaningless statement and you have to remember how Brafman lied to the press back in May about Kruger, to understand the context.
Heleen Mees Jul 15, 2011
I don’t think it is a meaningless statement. In Le Monde Mr. Taylor quite explicitly denies that there is prove of the injuries in the medical report. Also, why does the DA’s office not confirm the maid’s alleged injuries, even on a background basis, while the DA’s office does confirm that Mr. Strauss-Kahn did not have any?
buddgie Jul 15, 2011
The medical report that “DSK didn’t incur any bruises or scratches” was prepared by the police, hence the DA.
Heleen Mees Jul 15, 2011
Sure. But I trust that the DA’s office also has access to the maid’s medical record. Moreover, the maid’s attorney did leak the psychological assessment in the medical report (to Le Parisien), as well as her account of the incident (to the New York Times), but he did not leak the part of the medical report that deals with her physical injuries. Odd, isn’t it?
Wahrheit Jul 15, 2011
The accuser could tell her (fake) life stories until even very experienced criminal investigators cried but she would later recant them and calmly said she just lied. The DA didn’t leak anything about medical reports but both the defense lawyer and accuser’s lawyer. The accuser said to a counselor from St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital that she watched her “attacker” DSK getting dressed in the room where she allegedly was raped. She sat there until he left. Incredible!
MJ Jul 15, 2011
You’re right Heleen, it’s not about her past, it’s about her lies about this crime to cops, da and grand jury. To tight it to her part, though, she also lied to investigators (cops and DA) about being gang-raped before coming here. She got so emotionally vested in her lie, she ended up crying on floor and a few of these seasoned investigators shed tears. Those people are so desperate to make it a race issue now, it’s completely ridiculous. This has nothing to do with this, this has to do with a “victim” who got caught lying too many times about the crime she allegedly lived through. And calling your boyfriend in his jail afterwards and already talk about potential financial gain is all the more suspicious. Unfortunately, no matter what happened, this is now a matter of impossibility to go beyond rational doubt. DNA is no proof of rape and DSK has no sign of fight on his body – what happened to the scratches he was supposed to have on his torso early on?
Heleen Mees Jul 15, 2011
I agree. The fact that she appeared to be traumatized after the incident (according to St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital’s psychological report that her lawyer leaked to Le Parisien), is not really strong evidence either. After all, she apparently had some previous experience lying about rape and appearing traumatized
Heleen Mees Jul 15, 2011
While they were holding a mini rally in Franklin Street, the Strauss-Kahns visited Tanglewood to celebrate Anne Sinclair’s birthday: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07…
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