Muslim woman jailed for false burqa complaint

By IANS,

Sydney : A burqa-clad Muslim woman was Friday sentenced to six months jail by an Australian court for falsely accusing a police officer of removing her veil, a media report said.


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Carnita Matthews, 46, of Woodbine in Sydney’s south, was found guilty of knowingly making a false complaint relating to the event in June, Sydney Morning Herald reported.

The mother of seven was stopped in June by a police officer for a random breath test.

She later filed a police complaint alleging that the officer had tried to pull off her burqa, which concealed her entire face except for her eyes.

In Campbelltown Local Court, magistrate Robert Rabbidge said the evidence was “overwhelming” that Matthews had submitted a false declaration to police.

“There is not a shadow of doubt in my mind that she knew that the complaint she was making was false,” he said.

Lawyers for Matthews quickly lodged an appeal to the District Court against the conviction and sentence.

Matthews was released on bail pending the appeal hearing.

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