As promised, I am now in the process of "catching up" the articles that did not appear because I was on holiday. This is the article that would have been posted on the 22nd February.
This kind of behaviour is clearly unacceptable! The fact that the Sergeant has not been disciplined makes it even worse. It is setting a precident of the worst kind. The message is that men can humiliate and abuse women with no consequence.
My advice to the young lady concerned is to take up the offer of help and nail his whatnot to the wall. Throw the book at him and then some. Don't let the "pig" get away with it at all!
Regards
Nikki
Cop who 'humiliated' trainee off the hook
Hanti Otto November 24 2006 at 07:41AM
Charges of crimen injuria and indecent assault were on Thursday withdrawn against a Pretoria West Training College police sergeant who allegedly forced a student to prove to him she was menstruating.
The Directorate of Public Prosecutions decision to decline to prosecute was because it was deemed "not advisable" to subject the complainant to "secondary humiliation" in an open court. The only option left for the Pretoria District Court was to withdraw the charges against the man, 30.
In a letter to court, the DPP stated: "The complainant was subjected to the most gruesome embarrassment. However, it is not advisable to subject her to secondary humiliation in an open court. I therefore decline to prosecute.
It stressed that the sergeant had to be subjected to "stringent disciplinary procedures for his conduct". The trainer was arrested on September 28 after the student was advised to lay a complaint against him.
It is alleged that she wanted to go to the toilet for "hygiene reasons" during a training session. Apparently the sergeant wanted her to prove that she needed to go for the reasons given and ordered her to lower her pants in front of the whole class. Only after the student complied did he apparently allow her to go to the bathroom.
Originally from Katlehong, the sergeant was later released on warning. Athough he still trained male students, he was not allowed to interact with females. On Thursday members of the Police and Prisoners Civil Rights Union (Popcru) sang and danced outside court with posters stating: "Stop women abuse."
They called for the sergeant's immediate suspension, saying the allegation against him was one of the "worst things a police officer can be accused off".
"We don't have place for people like (him) in the police. We also call for a full investigation into what happens at training colleges. What is going on there?" they have asked.
Popcru's provincial deputy secretary Dudu Magubane expressed disappointment. "The complainant never got justice. She opened the criminal case, so obviously she wanted it to come to court. It's not about humiliation in court. She had already been humiliated. "And she could testify in camera. Did she have a say in this decision? Is it really in her interest? What protection will other students have, now that the perpetrator has gotten away with his deeds?" she asked.
Carrie Shelver of People Opposing Women Abuse (Powa) also found this decision unacceptable. "This is severe disempowerment of the victim. If this withdrawal was without the complainant's consent, she can contact us. We have a legal team who can help her take the case to court if she wants to," Shelver said. "It is ironic that this happens on the eve of the 16 Days of Activism against Violence on Women and Children."
Police spokesperson Director Selby Bokaba said an internal disciplinary process against the sergeant had begun and was yet to be completed. He was no longer working at the college but had been transferred to the Central Firearms Register to work as administrator.
This article was originally published on page 3 of Pretoria News on November 24, 2006
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