Pretoria court awards hip hop artist R450,000 for being falsely accused of rape

A hip hop artist who spent a year in prison after being falsely accused of raping a 15-year-old girl has been awarded R450,000 in damages,

The Star reported on Tuesday the High Court in Pretoria ordered that the minister of justice pay Kevin Stemar R100,000 for unlawful arrest, and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) pay R350,000 in damages.

Stemar was arrested in November 2010 after the teenager claimed he and a friend of his had raped her.

The case was postponed 11 times and he was acquitted in the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court.

According to the report, the DPP's office insisted that Stemar not be released on bail, even though DNA evidence did not link him to the alleged rape.