NEW YORK (WSVN) — The lawyer for a girl accusing two New York Police detectives of rape says their fellow officers tried to intimidate the girl into staying quiet.
According to the New York Post, the lawyer for the 18-year-old victim said that while she was getting a rape kit done, nine cops came to the hospital and tried to discourage her and her mother from coming forward and reporting the attack.
“He kept saying to [the victim] and her mom, ‘How do you know they were real cops?’ ” said attorney Michael David to the New York Post.
At one point, David says that an officer told the victim’s mother, “You don’t know what you’re talking about. Your daughter doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”
David also claims that another officer used a rubber band to cover his name tag while becoming adamant that the victim had her story wrong. David told the newspaper that the officer nearly chased the victim’s mother into the bathroom at one point.
A nurse told the mom, “Don’t be intimidated. Be strong. Be strong for your daughter,” David said.
“I’m outraged,” David told the Post. “To me, it’s almost as outrageous as the crime, that you have cops trying to intimidate her to not report the crime, trying to protect fellow cops.”
The victim has accused NYPD detectives Eddie Martins and Richard Hall of handcuffing her and raping her in their police van while they were on duty. Both officers have pleaded not guilty to the 50-count indictment. Martins and Hall admitted to having sex with the victim while on the job, but both men insisted it was consensual.
Both officers resigned from the force before they were to face an administrative proceeding that could have resulted in their firing.
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