A UNC-Chapel Hill freshman who claimed he was attacked by a man who burned his wrist and called him an anti-gay slur has been charged with filing a false report.
Quinn Richardson Matney, 19, of Asheville, was charged by citation Friday and is scheduled to appear in court May 16 in Hillsborough, according to a campus police report.
Matney reported he had been attacked outside Craige Residence Hall about 3:30 a.m. April 4 by a man who pressed a piece of hot metal into his wrist.
He reported the alleged incident to campus police the next day, but it was not publicized to the campus community until Chancellor Holden Thorp announced April 11 that the university was investigating it as a possible hate crime.
UNC-CH determined the report was false the next day, but the alleged incident and university's response concerned the campus gay students groups and others, which held a meeting last Thursday.
Matney later admitted the wound was self-inflicted, his father told the Daily Tar Heel.
Comments
Why make up a false report?
Fri, 04/22/2011 - 14:22 — knowthelawHate crimes should not be taken lightly. Why anyone would make up such a story is beyond me. Maybe he was approached by someone who he did not like and thought he could teach that person a 'lesson'. For actual perpetrators who intentionally wrong others, they should be punished accordingly. But, I imagine in cases such as this, if someone were wrongfully accused of assault, it is good that there are criminal defense lawyers that exist who can help rectify an improper situation...