Peter Burke
It was announced that Roger Randle has been appointed the new attack coach for Munster, and while his pedigree as a coach is not in doubt his past certainly is. Now I am all for fairness and tranparency and all that but the court of public opinion seems to be ignored.
Ok a bit of explanation: Repoted from 15th August 1997: “A KwaZulu-Natal police investigator said on New Zealand television last week that he believed justice had not been done in the case involving the alleged rape of a Durban woman by a member of the Hurricanes rugby team.
Captain Vishnu Chetty also made the startling claim that more than one person would have been charged with the rape of a 31-year-old Durban woman in April this year.
Hurricanes player Roger Randle was charged with rape, but DNA test results implicated both him and two other men – both also members of the Hurricanes team. One was named as Potu Leavasa and the other was not identified.
The woman, who may not be named, withdrew rape charges against Randle in May. She approached the daily Holmes programme, one of New Zealand’s top magazine programmes. She appeared on the show but was not paid. After the charges were withdrawn, Randle also appeared on the show – and was paid $20 000 (more than R60 000).
Chetty also appeared on the programme. He had investigated the woman’s complaint and supported her claim that she had been raped.
After the woman withdrew the charges, KwaZulu-Natal police regional superintendent Bala Naidoo was emphatic that ”a rape has occurred”. The province’s attorney-general, Tim McNally, said prosecutors were ready to proceed with a trial. He also said the complainant had withdrawn the charges – but not the allegation that she had been raped.”
Randle replied: He again denied the allegations and said he believed the matter was closed, both for him and for the authorities.
He said statements the woman made on the television programme were not consistent with her earlier statements and that information regarding the DNA test results and samples were misleading.
He added that it was ”interesting” to note that the woman had not proceeded with the case because the South African authorities believed she was ”an unreliable witness”.
Now one thing to remember in 1997 in South Africa the police weren’t exactly the most honest, i am not excusing or defending the actions of those involved but just to look at the facts.
All the charges were droppoed and no case was brought, however it hangs on the person or persons character like a bad smell, Paddy Jackson case in point.
There is no doubt that Roger Randle is a highly qualified candidate for the role but sometimes the court of public opinion is ignored by the powers that be and in this case it could go badly for them as the optics here are just all wrong.