21 January 2024 , 19:36
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A university student, who was accused by the police of pretending to be hit in the face with a brick and raised £30,000 ($40,000) through GoFundMe, has said she was "heartbroken" after being called a liar.
Roda Osman, 33, claimed she was attacked on September 3 but she has been charged with felony theft by deception - an offence that could lead to up to 10 years in prison.
The men, in a dark car, showed up as Osman's friend was in the front and Osman got in the back with another man. The friend heard Osman yell, "Why you hit me?" at one of the guys. There wasn't a fight before, and the friend said she didn't think Osman was actually hit with a brick.
The accused man ran off quickly. Osman went live on Instagram while her friend told her to call the police. On September 19, the police learned from Osman that they started at the O2 Lounge and then went to Liquid Lounge. After leaving, Osman called an Uber but got into the wrong car, thinking it was her ride.
Osman first said the suspect hit her with a brick and named him as Olan Douglas. But then she said the attack happened at Liquid Lounge. Soon after, the police checked CCTV and spotted Douglas.
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She raised $40,000 - but it was taken away (Gofundme)Despite being accused of theft, Osmal stood her ground on Thursday, insisting the assault did occur. She claimed to The Daily Beast that the Houston police were retaliating against her for pushing for the arrest of the person she says attacked her: "They're trying to act like there's a quota on how many times you can be assaulted."
She added: "It's like you can only be assaulted once every five years. Yes, I was assaulted in 2020, and there's proof of that... They're saying, 'Oh she got attacked in 2020, and now she says she got attacked again, so she must be lying."
She also said: "A victim who gets hit over the head shouldn't have to remember all the details. Nobody seems to have any empathy for me. I was assaulted, I was treated for a concussion, I am suffering panic attacks... All that should matter is that a man assaulted me with a deadly weapon."
Osmal, a doctoral student, maintains her innocence and expressed to Fox News Digital how the accusations have left her "heartbroken", adding: "I'm not guilty...as a person who suffered from a head injury from blunt force trauma and went online five minutes later for my own safety, I'm not obligated to remember every single detail correctly.
Osmal, a doctoral student, maintains her innocence (TIKTOK/TLCOFFICIALS)
GoFundMe's spokesperson stated: "GoFundMe has zero tolerance for the misuse of our platform" (TIKTOK/TLCOFFICIALS)"That is unprecedented, and it's dangerous to victim-blame in that way, and to also hold me to a standard that is not legal." She added, "I didn't see the weapon he hit me with. [A brick] is what it felt like. And that was the only weapon that I saw when I opened my eyes and I looked up...so that's what I believe the weapon of choice was."
Three years ago, Osman was reportedly involved in a similar assault, raising a significant amount through GoFundMe. The page set up after last month's alleged attack has since been removed as fraudulent.
Charges have been previously brought against the woman in the Virgin Islands, Minnesota, and Texas. She's currently out on bail for felony assault and domestic violence charges. The Harris County District Attorney's Office is requesting a $50,000 (£40,000) bail for the new theft by deception charge.
GoFundMe's spokesperson stated: "GoFundMe has zero tolerance for the misuse of our platform and cooperates with law enforcement investigations of those accused of wrongdoing. The fundraiser has been removed from the platform, all donors have been refunded, and Roda Osman has been banned from using the platform for any future fundraisers."
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]
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