The attorney for the Buffalo woman who said she was raped by Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane says evidence has been tampered with, and called for an independent investigation to find out “how on earth this could have happened”.
In a dramatic press conference on Wednesday, Thomas Eoannou said the evidence bag containing the woman’s rape kit was anonymously delivered to her mother’s home. Eoannou said law enforcement authorities and prosecutors confirmed that the bag is “authentic”. He said it has been ripped open.
“Something seriously has gone amiss,” said Eoannou. “All we know is that the rape kit bag, which has been authenticated, ended up on the doorstep of the victim’s mother’s house. God knows what happened to the evidence.”
“This is a classic example of why rape victims don’t come forward,” Eoannou said. “In a rape case, the victim gets attacked. It’s called victim bashing. It’s absolutely atrocious.
“This is the worst example of victim bashing I have ever seen.”
The young woman alleged to police that Kane sexually assaulted her last month in a room of his house in the town of Hamburg, New York, just outside Buffalo. So far, no charges have been filed.
“We need to bring in the FBI, or state troopers, or some other law enforcement agency to find out who had that bag, [and] who put it on my client’s mother’s doorstep,” Eoannou said.
Eoannou said he will turn the bag, which has his client’s name on it, over to law enforcement officials. Eoannou said the DA’s office has been notified and has full confidence that the matter will be properly investigated.
The rape investigation has proceeded under tight secrecy over the past seven weeks, but the Buffalo News reported that a number of witnesses had been questioned and a number of forensic tests had been performed.
Kane told reporters at a Blackhawks practice last week that he did nothing wrong and is confident that the investigation will clear him of any wrongdoing. He also apologized to family, friends and supporters for the uproar caused by the criminal investigation.
Kane is currently in training camp with the team.
