This has been running in the media in Australia for about 10 days-after police released security footage from subway stations of a man they believed to have assaulted several women.

If you believed what the tabloids and TV news reports say-police swooped and arrested a dangerous "sex offendor" who was charged as a serial rapist.

But today the truth is revealed-the man actually turned himself into police after seeing the footage on TV and forensics have cleared him completly as he walks free. Again-the media simply reports what is handed to them by the police-no questioning of the "facts"-no investigation..once a requirement of a good journalist. This bloke was lucky-how many others aren't when the evidence is a bit more complicated or non-existent-as in Barry George's case ?.

CCTV blunder: wrong 'sex attacker' charged

A man held in custody charged with assaulting a number of young Sydney women has been released after forensic tests cleared him of all matters.

A 23-year-old Minchinbury man went to police on Saturday after seeing CCTV footage of himself on the television news.

He was subsequently charged with three counts of aggravated sexual assault, three counts of aggravated robbery, indecent assault and stalking and intimidation linked to the assault of five women in Sydney's north-west between April and June. He faced Parramatta Bail Court on Sunday and was refused bail.

One of the victim's told police she spotted her attacker at Blacktown railway station last week and police then circulated CCTV footage of the man captured at the railway station.

However, new information prompted police to apply to the Supreme Court late last night for the man's release.

"The application was made after police received the results of ongoing forensic inquiries shortly before 6pm," police said in a statement. "Another application will be made to the court over the next few days for the withdrawal of all charges."

A police spokeswoman was unable to confirm if the man's arrest and charging had stemmed from the victim mistaking his identity.
Each victim described their attacker as being of Asian appearance, aged between 18 and 21, with two prominent top front teeth.

Detectives will continue their investigations into the string of attacks, during which victims as young as 16 were sexually assaulted by the same attacker, who was armed with a knife on each occasion.

www.smh.com.au/news/national/cctv-gaffe-...5/1217701983353.html

The police won't apologise ( where have we heard this before ?)..and note the innocent blokes claim-that he began to believe he may be guilty.

Aussie law-virtually exactly the same as British law ,and both need a good shake-up !

another monumental stuff-the difference ?-we actually know about it !

Joey's weekend of hell being taken for a rapist

A 23-year-old man wrongly locked up on Sunday by police who suspected him of stalking and assaulting teenaged girls says he barely slept or ate while incarcerated and ended up questioning whether he really was the culprit.

Joey de Mesa, of Minchinbury, was released from custody late last night after police received forensic test results clearing him and applied to a Supreme Court judge to have him set free.

Police, who released CCTV footage of Mr de Mesa in connection with the crimes, have now applied for 11 charges against him relating to sex attacks on six teenaged girls in Sydney's west between April and June this year to be dropped.

Mr de Mesa said he went to Mount Druitt police station in good faith on Saturday evening after friends and relatives recognised him from the footage broadcast on television news reports at the weekend.

To his horror, instead of ruling him out as a suspect, police arrested and charged him, he said.

www.smh.com.au/news/national/mistaken-fo...5/1217702015961.html