A 21-year-old woman who reported she was brutally beaten and raped on the UC Santa Cruz campus last Sunday actually fabricated the entire story.
She admitted to campus police on Thursday that the sexual assault did not take place.
The woman, who was visiting campus, originally told police that she was attacked in one of UCSC campus’ many remote wooded areas around noon on Feb. 17. She described the event in elaborate detail, from where it happened and where her attacker fled to exactly what he was wearing and smelled like.
UCSC Police Chief Nader Oweis said in a press release Thursday:
“The report of this incident has very understandably created a deep sense of unease among UCSC students, staff, and faculty, as well as residents of the Santa Cruz area.”
The alleged rape put into motion several new safety measures on campus, such as increased police and security patrols and a nighttime safety escort service, that will be maintained in the wake of other violent incidents in Santa Cruz.
It goes without saying that the university took back last week’s offer of a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the alleged attacker.
Campus police have forwarded the case to Santa Cruz County prosecutors, who will decide if the woman will face criminal charges for filing a false police report.
Last modified February 28, 2013 12:44 pm
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