NEW YORK (KRON) — An 18-year-old girl who reported to police that she was gang raped by five teens at a Brooklyn playground last month admitted the sex was consensual, officials announced Wednesday. The unidentified girl also told authorities she had sex with her father.
The five teens – ages 14, 15, 15, 17 and 17 – were originally charged as adults, each with one count of rape, two counts of criminal sex act, and one count of sex abuse in connection with the alleged assault.
“The complainant has recanted her allegations of forcible sexual assault and the existence of a gun, and she does not wish to pursue criminal charges against any of the defendants. She also refuses to cooperate with any prosecution against her father, who was engaging in sexual conduct with her,” Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson said in a statement issued by his office.
The girl first told investigators that on Jan. 7 at around 9 p.m., she and her 39-year-old father were at Brownsville’s Osborne Park drinking beer near a handball court when a group of teens approached them. The boys then ordered the father to leave.
The girl’s father left the playground to find help but returned moments later and hurled a bottle at the boys. One of the teens pulled out a handgun and chased the father away, according to the woman’s account.
After about 15 minutes, the father flagged down two police officers, who found the woman wandering the playground.
Police said the girl sustained cuts to her arms, neck and knees during the assault.
Investigators released images taken from surveillance video showing the suspects entering a deli and asked for the public’s help in locating them. All five boys were taken into custody on Jan. 12.
Thompson said that the girl and her father provided multiple inconsistent accounts to NYPD detectives and to experienced Special Victims prosecutors about important material facts in this case, the Daily Mail reported.
“That night, this young woman’s father and the five young men engaged in conduct that was reprehensible and wrong, but because of the lack of reliable evidence, criminal charges simply cannot be sustained,” Thompson said.
Thompson said that he hopes the young woman “gets all the support she needs going forward,” adding that victim advocates have been working with her.
On Wednesday, The NY Times reported that the woman “had a history of emotional troubles” and “lived in a series of group homes and other facilities” after being taken from her mother, who was a drug user: “When she turned 18, the woman, whose mother had died, learned her biological father’s identity and contacted him through Facebook, the officials said. Last July, she came to New York to meet him.”
Police said their investigation into the matter is “officially closed.”The Associated Press and Daily Mail contributed to this report.