Woman testifies she fabricated rape allegation

6/8/2007

The victim in the rape and assault trial of Lawrence Anderson testified in Lucas County Common Pleas Court yesterday that she was angry after Anderson struck her, and so made up portions of her statements to police.

Anderson, 38, faces charges of rape, felonious assault, and kidnapping.

He is accused of approaching the 35-year-old victim, with whom he had a relationship, smashing her head into the window of her car, and then dragging her to an abandoned garage where he beat and raped her.

Yesterday, the victim said that Anderson did push her into the car window, which broke the glass, and that once in the abandoned garage he swung a two-by-four at her head.

The board broke her arm because she reached up to shield herself from the blow. She also testified that Anderson threatened several times that he would kill her and her children.

But the victim then contradicted information in two police reports and the report from the sexual-assault nurse examiner at the hospital where she was taken after the Feb. 19 attack.

On the stand yesterday, she said she was not dragged into the garage and she was not raped. Instead, she said she "made love" to Anderson because she was still in love with him.

Defense attorney Paul Geller asked the victim if she was telling the truth during her testimony and asked if she had told a different story on the night of the incident because she was angry at Anderson for hurting her arm and that she "knew how to use the system" to get Anderson in trouble.

The victim, who retained attorney Jack Viren in case accusations of perjury were initiated, said she was angry and consequently gave false statements to police.

The trial continues today with law enforcement and medical testimony in front of Judge Charles Doneghy.