Cape Town, June 26: South African police are investigating rape charges against members of New Zealand's junior rugby team after they lost to South Africa in the Junior World Championship, a police spokesman said Monday.
“We are investigating a case after a 22-year-old Cape Town woman alleged she was raped,” said national police spokesman Vish Naidoo.
“It is alleged the rape took place during the course of Friday night,” he said.
The charge was laid on Saturday.
Earlier on Friday South Africa beat New Zealand 22-16 in the IRB Junior World Championship at Newlands stadium in Cape Town.
Four Baby Blacks players were involved in the incident, according to The New Age newspaper. Naidoo declined to say how many players were being investigated.
Forensic experts combed the Southern Sun Hotel Newlands on Saturday for DNA evidence in a hushed investigation, according to the newspaper.
The whole Baby Blacks team was allowed to leave South Africa after the New Zealands High Commission intervened, according to the newspaper.
“I can’t go into details on that,” said Naidoo.
Hotel staff told the newspaper the woman came to the hotel Friday night and told the front desk she was visiting a cousin. She knew the hotel players’ rooms and had apparently met them before.
“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,” a hotel employee told the publication.
“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 12.00am on Saturday.”
Police are waiting “for the outcome of the forensic analysis”, said Naidoo.
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