Vic: Police admit failure in footballer rape investigation

AAP General News (Australia)
02-10-2005
Vic: Police admit failure in footballer rape investigation

MELBOURNE, Feb 10 AAP - Victorian police bungled a rape investigation involving an
AFL footballer five years ago, the state's top detective said today.

Assistant Commissioner for Crime, Simon Overland, said there had been an "almost total
failure" which meant the investigation did not progress over a period of years.

Despite his admission, he defended the force's ability to investigate rape allegations
against high-profile sportsmen.

Mr Overland's acknowledgement of police failings stemmed from a leaked Victorian ombudsman's
report into the handling of rape allegations against a footballer which allegedly took
place in September, 1999.

The ombudsman found police failed to properly investigate the allegation.

Two of the three police involved in the probe could face internal charges, while the
third had already left the force, Mr Overland said.

The two serving officers could face disciplinary action. The office who had left the
force could have the incident noted on his public record.

Mr Overland said there was no question the police investigation into the case was deficient,
but a review had not found any evidence of similar failings.

"There's been a failure in this case. We've reviewed about 16 or 17 other similar cases,"

he told reporters.

"We haven't found similar failing (in those), so I think there is some reassurance
there, and I think we acknowledge and have acknowledged that this is a difficult area
for us."

Mr Overland said sexual crime squad detectives had reopened the case last year.

"It (the investigation) is not yet complete, but we know in the course of that, and
general knowledge about the circumstances of the original investigation, that it was deficient,"

he told reporters.

The matter had been handed to the Ethical Standards Department, Mr Overland said.

"... there's an investigation that's not complete, but suffice to say I think it's
really a failure of our system, an almost total failure it would seem, and the matter
just simply didn't progress for a number of years."

The case was believed to involve the Carlton Football Club.

The club's media manager Ian Coutts declined to comment today.

"I think that this is a leaked report from the ombudsman and it's with the Victoria
Police, and I think that's where it should stay at this stage," Mr Coutts said.

A spokeswoman for the ombudsman's office today confirmed the report, completed last
month, had identified "serious deficiencies" in the police investigation and had recommended
disciplinary action be taken.

The spokeswoman said the ombudsman's office would not make public the report in line
with its obligation to protect the confidentiality of the complainant.

The complainant, identified as Kate, told Melbourne radio station 3AW that she felt
vindicated by the ombudsman's report.

"I was pretty shocked more than anything, but I was not surprised," she said.

"I knew that something wasn't right anyway, but it still hurts."

Victorian Premier Steve Bracks, during a visit to Canberra today, said the report highlighted
the strengths of the system.

"It just shows you the system is working effectively and well when we have independent
scrutiny of individual events," he said.

Opposition police spokesman Kim Wells said footballers must be treated like everyone
else in the community.

"There should be no exception and if there is then that's an indictment on the police
minister and the Victorian police," he said.

"This is a disgraceful situation that needs to be further investigated to ensure that
the procedures are right so this doesn't happen again."

AAP jrd/gfr/tnf/cjh/sd

KEYWORD: FOOTBALLER LEAD

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