A suspect who was arrested at the weekend after he was accused of raping a female student from the Central University of Technology (CUT) has been released without being formally charged in court.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Phaladi Shuping told The Free Stater that the 29-year-old man who was set to make a first appearance in the Bloemfontein Magistrates Court on Tuesday was released after the state felt the evidence against him could not sustain a case before court.
“The accused was released and not charged,” said Shuping in a brief response.
“The matter was not enrolled after prosecutors assessed evidential material in the police docket and concluded that there was insufficient evidence to sustain the charge of rape against the accused,” he added.
Police in Mangaung had initially said the suspect was arrested after he allegedly raped a 21-year-old CUT female student on Saturday morning.
According to the police, the incident was said to have happened after the female student and her friends visited a tavern in Bloemside Phase 10.
After the tavern closed, the group is said to have moved to one of the friends’ home where they partied further during the early hours of Saturday.
The complainant is said to have told the police that she requested a blanket and fell asleep on a couch.
She further claimed she woke up at about 05:35 and found one of the friends on top of her wearing a condom.
The female student indicated that she felt she had been penetrated and that some of her friends witnessed the rape as they were still awake when the incident happened.
She then reported the incident at Bloemspruit Police Station that morning and a case of rape was opened, leading to the arrest of suspects on the same day. – Staff Reporter