‘Baby Blacks’ stars accused of rape

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA - JUNE 22, A disappointed New Zealand team during the IRB Junior World Championships final match between South Africa and New Zealand at DHL Newlands on June 22, 2012 in Cape Town, South Africa Photo by Luke Walker / Gallo Images

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA - JUNE 22, A disappointed New Zealand team during the IRB Junior World Championships final match between South Africa and New Zealand at DHL Newlands on June 22, 2012 in Cape Town, South Africa Photo by Luke Walker / Gallo Images

Published Jun 25, 2012

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Four members of the New Zealand Under-20 rugby team - nicknamed the “Baby Blacks” - have been accused of raping a woman in a Cape Town hotel room hours after they lost to the Baby Boks on Friday night, a report has said.

According to the New Age, forensic experts from the SAPS were at the Southern Sun Hotel Newlands on Saturday looking for DNA samples and other leads in the investigation.

 

Police spokesperson Colonel Vish Naidoo confirmed that the police were called to the hotel on Saturday morning after a woman laid a complaint of rape, the New Age report said.

“I can confirm that a woman claimed that she was raped at the hotel,” he was quoted as saying. “The victim could not tell detectives who raped her because she couldn’t remember anything about the incident.”

Naidoo confirmed that none of the New Zealand players were prevented from leaving the country., the report said.

The New Age quoted a hotel staff member as saying that a 22-year-old woman entered the hotel on Friday evening

. She told the front desk that she was going to visit her cousin in one of the rooms.

“But it seems she met the rugby players somewhere earlier, because she knew what rooms they were staying in,” said the staff member.

“I think she lives near the hotel. According to some of my colleagues she was apparently drunk. And on Saturday morning she called her parents to fetch her at the hotel after claims that she was raped.

“Her parents insisted on opening a case of rape. We are not certain that she was raped, but there was blood found on a sheet on a bed. The rugby players left the hotel at 12am on Saturday.”

A spokesperson for the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade reportedly told The New Age on Sunday afternoon that they were aware an issue was raised with the local police before the New Zealand team left.

“The team and team management co-operated fully and assisted police with their enquiries, after which police advised they were happy for all team members to travel out of South Africa,” the spokesperson said. – IOL

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