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Hofstra Student Recants Gang Rape Claim

Four men released from jail after accuser admits sex was consensual

By Sarah Quinn,  Newser Staff

Posted Sep 17, 2009 12:05 PM CDT

(Newser) – A reported gang rape at Hofstra University wasn't a rape after all, the local DA says. The accuser "recanted her claims against the five young men," a school official told students in a text message. The four men who had been charged—and publicly identified—were released from jail last night, Newsday reports. The 18-year-old accuser hasn't been identified.

"The alleged victim of the sexual assault admitted that the encounter that took place early Sunday morning was consensual," the DA said. Students say they feel bad for the men, one of whom goes to Hofstra, because their mug shots were posted online and in newspapers. "The young man's life is still going to be ruined," one freshman said. "The girl lied about a serious thing."

Kevin Tavares, Stalin Felipe, and Rondell Bedward, three of the men accused of rape at Hofstra, talk to a reporter after they were released from Nassau County Jail in East Meadow, NY, on Wednesday.
Kevin Tavares, Stalin Felipe, and Rondell Bedward, three of the men accused of rape at Hofstra, talk to a reporter after they were released from Nassau County Jail in East Meadow, NY, on Wednesday.   (AP Photo/Frank Eltman)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 20 comments
northeast
Sep 18, 2009 7:55 AM CDT
No, cherylfox may have a point worth considering. Chicks don't just wake up and decide "I want to sleep with FIVE BOYS today!" I don't think she was threatened to change her story, but I do think that this may not have been entirely consensual.
oldgoat
Sep 18, 2009 6:07 AM CDT
I agree with this. The woman has now smeared the men and it will be hard to clear their reputation. If they released the name of the men then they should now release the name of the woman.
So_Cal_Larry
Sep 17, 2009 11:08 PM CDT
At least this didn't go on and on and on like the Duke Lacrosse Team scene in North Carolina a few years back. This female must be prosecuted and jailed for this false report, and her jail term should be the minimum term which would have been applied to a guilty rapist. That, afterall, was her intention - to put a few guys away for a long time.

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