Prosecutors in the United States did not examine additional evidence in the investigation into a sexual assault at Cornell University, according to De Telegraaf. The Dutch newspaper reported the development on Saturday, citing the handling of the case by American authorities.
The case concerns an alleged group rape on the campus of the Ivy League university in Ithaca, New York. Reporting on the case has also come from NOS and HLN, which likewise stated that prosecutors ignored supplementary evidence in the Cornell abuse matter.
The Governor of New York has appointed Letitia James as a special prosecutor to lead the investigation, according to de Volkskrant. The same reporting indicates the governor wants to close a gap in the law following the Cornell abuse case, a move reported by the Haarlems Dagblad.
The allegations have also fueled a wider public debate about what commentators describe as "rape culture" on US campuses, NOS reported. That discussion has unfolded alongside the legal proceedings rather than as part of them.
Much about the investigation remains unclear from the available reporting, including the nature of the evidence prosecutors are said to have set aside and who decided not to review it. The accounts published so far do not specify a timeline for the alleged assault or identify any individuals involved.
Attention now turns to the special prosecutor's inquiry and whether the evidence at the center of the Dutch reports will be examined as part of it.
