Last Thursday morning, the judge was critical of the police investigation in a rape case against a 37-year-old man identified by the initial M.
The judge noted that the police referred to certain conversations but had not questioned the persons involved, which left important aspects of the case unclear. Because of this, the judge decided to postpone the case and instructed the Prosecutor to have the police carry out additional investigation.
Defense Requests Witness
After the Prosecutor presented the charges against M., defense attorney Mr. Ras requested that a witness be heard.
The accusation against M. is that on 21 July 2024, he allegedly raped a woman identified as Z.
Mr. Ras asked the judge to call a man named L. as a witness. According to the lawyer, L. is a friend of M. and was with him shortly before M. left in a car with Z.
Prosecutor Opposes Witness
The Prosecutor objected to hearing L. as a witness, arguing that he was not present at the moment the alleged rape took place and therefore would not be relevant to the core of the case.
Judge: Investigation Incomplete
Before making a decision, the judge stated that this is a serious case and that, in their view, the investigation is not yet complete.
The judge pointed out that, according to the file, a man identified as H., a neighbor of the victim Z., told police that Z. had sent him a message explaining what happened to her. However, the police had not questioned H. about this in detail.
The judge also noted that M. told the Court that when he heard Z. had filed a rape complaint against him, he called her. The judge considered that this aspect had not been fully investigated either.
Case Postponed for More Investigation
The judge instructed the Prosecutor to have the police question H. about what Z. told him via WhatsApp. The judge also considered it important to clarify what exactly was said between M. and Z. in their contact after the report.
In addition, the judge indicated that it would be good for the police to also speak with L. and include his statement in the case file.
The case has been postponed, and once all these statements and clarifications are collected, a new date will be set for the hearing. This shows clearly how the judge is instructing the police to complete the investigation so that the Court can have a clear view of the case and judge the suspect fairly.
Photo Credits : https://diario.aw/categories/noticia/hudicial/hues-a-pospone-caso-di-violacion-y-ordena-pa-polis-haci-mas-investigacion
