German teenager 'made up' migrant rape claim

A 13-year-old girl admits making up a claim she was abducted and raped by asylum-seekers, which caused diplomatic row between Germany and Russia

The claims were explosive in the wake of the Cologne sex attacks Photo: AP

A 13-year-old girl has admitted making up a story that she was abducted and raped by asylum seekers, a claim which sparked a major diplomatic row between Germany and Russia.

Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, publicly accused the German authorities of a “cover-up” and demanded action after the Russian-German girl claimed she was abducted in Berlin.

Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister  Photo: Getty Images

But the teenager, who has been named only as Lisa under German privacy laws, admitted she lied about the alleged rape, prosecutors said in a statement on Sunday.

The girl, who is a member of Germany’s small Russian-speaking minority, was reported missing by her parents several weeks ago when she didn’t turn up to school.

She appeared some 30 hours later with injuries on her face and claimed she had been kidnapped and raped by men of North African or Middle Eastern appearance.

The claims were explosive in the wake of the Cologne sex attacks, and saw protests by the Russian-German community and the Pegida anti-Islam movement.

Protesters against the mass sexual attacks on women in Cologne

Police said there was no evidence of rape but refused to comment further to protect the girl’s prvacy as a minor.

Russian media seized on the case, alleging a cover-up.

“The news of her disappearance was kept secret,” Mr Lavrov told a press conference. “They are painting over reality with political correctness.”

Russian television reports were riddled with bizarre inaccuracies, including footage of what appeared to be Swedish police.

Prosecutors finally broke their silence over the case on Sunday after the girl’s mother gave an interview to Spiegel magazine.

She had admitted the rape allegations were a lie when she was questioned three days after her disappearance, Martin Steltner, a spokesman for proscutors, said.

 

“She immediately admitted the rape story was not true,” he said.

It now appears Lisa went to stay with a 19-year-old acquaintance because she was scared to go home after her school contacted her parents over unspecified problems.

She made up the story to explain her disappearance.

Police say no sexual contact took place, either consensual or non-consensual, and the 19-year-old is not under any suspicion.

“My daughter is doing badly,” her mother told Spiegel. She is currently undergoing psychiatric treatment in hospital.