A Grahamstown man says his life has become a nightmare after he was wrongfully accused of a rape he didn't commit. The 24-year-old Grahamstown man is claiming that he spent almost a year in jail for allegedly raping a high school girl, and even after his release he says he's still paying the price.
A Grahamstown man says his life has become a nightmare after he was wrongfully accused of a rape he didn't commit. The 24-year-old Grahamstown man is claiming that he spent almost a year in jail for allegedly raping a high school girl, and even after his release he says he's still paying the price.
Jamie de Jager, who lives in the area around Mary Waters Secondary School, approached Grocott's Mail to clear his name, after he says he was linked to a gang rape case because he shares his name with one of the rapists.
He is accusing the police of wrongfully arresting him for the rape that happened near Scotts Farm in April 2010, because the victim heard one of the culprits saying the name Jamie during her ordeal.
In an interview with Grocott's Mail last week Tuesday, Jager explained of how people in his community almost killed him after hearing that he was among the group of men who allegedly raped the girl. He said people came to his house carrying things to beat him with.
He was arrested and spent 11 months in the Grahamstown Correctional Facility after being convicted – without any physical evidence against him, he said. His girlfriend even testified in court that de Jager had been with her on the night of the rape.
"The Director of Public Prosecutions sent the case to the judge and that is when I was released [in April last year]and the people who raped that girl were arrested," de Jager said.
He believes the state should do something to help him since he spent a long time in prison for a crime he didn't commit. "People are now scared of me and even small kids are running away when they see me because of this," he said.
His sister, Nicole de Jager, said: The issue is now being dealt with by the lawyers and we are still waiting for them to come and tell us what is happening now. Eastern Cape correctional services spokesperson Zama Feni yesterday told Grocott's Mail that he cannot confirm or deny what de Jager has said because he's still trying to locate documents confirming the details of his alleged unlawful imprisonment.
"What I do know is that this man was arrested for three months last year, in September, for house-breaking and in April this year he was arrested for robbery," Feni said. Grahamstown police spokesperson Captain Mali Govender had not replied to questions at the time of going to print.
