Prosecutors in Suffolk County have dismissed charges against 39-year-old former Uber driver Hermann Ngoufack Jiokeng, who faced rape allegations from an incident with a female passenger last month. Evidence crucial to the prosecution's case did not support the claims against Jiokeng, leading to the decision to drop the charge, as per CBS News Boston.
Accusations against Jiokeng arose from an incident on February 22, when he was alleged to have sexually assaulted a passenger after picking her up from a bar in South Boston. He was detained without bail following his arrest on February 23. Forensic testing returned negative results, and the Commonwealth admitted it could not prove the charges, stating, "establishes that the charges against the defendant cannot be proved beyond a reasonable doubt based on the current state of the evidence," according to CBS News Boston. The woman's roommate had reported suspicious activity outside their residence, prompting a call to emergency services. Jiokeng's defense attorney pointed out inconsistencies in the accuser's story and noted that Jiokeng had no criminal history and strong community ties.
The case took a new direction when inconsistencies were found in the accuser's statements, including varying descriptions of the assailants. The accuser also admitted to heavy alcohol consumption, which affected her memory of the incident. As a result, the charges were dropped. Jiokeng's lawyer, William Gens, stated that the detainment "undoubtedly did a lot of damage to him," as mentioned by Boston Globe. Jiokeng, who worked at a bank and drove for Uber, was released.
