More on my he Kane matter, from the Buffalo News:
The young woman who alleges that she was raped by Patrick Kane the morning of Aug. 2 only went to his Hamburg waterfront home because her friend wanted to go, according to three people who have knowledge of the events that night and early morning.
“They were at SkyBar, and Kane invited them to his home. Her friend really wanted to go to Kane’s house, and she didn’t want her friend to go there alone,” a friend of the woman told The Buffalo News. “It wasn’t her idea to go there.”
Two other sources who are familiar with the Kane rape allegation – a law enforcement official and a member of Buffalo’s legal community – gave similar information to The News about what led the alleged victim to go to Kane’s residence.
The woman who allegedly was raped at Kane’s home was not the woman who wanted to go there, the law enforcement official said.
Town of Hamburg Police and the Erie County District Attorney’s Office are investigating allegations that Kane overpowered and raped the young woman in his Old Lakeshore Road home early on the morning of Aug. 2. No charges have been filed.
Kane and his attorney, Paul J. Cambria Jr., so far have not responded to the allegations.
“At this time, at this stage, I have no comment on any aspect of this case,” Cambria said Wednesday when a reporter attempted to ask him about the woman’s reasons for going to Kane’s home.
District Attorney Frank A. Sedita III, through a secretary, also declined to comment. So did Thomas J. Eoannou, attorney for the alleged victim.
Authorities have been investigating the woman’s allegations since she went to a hospital for a rape examination shortly after the alleged incident.
Since Sunday, The News has spoken to four friends and co-workers of the alleged victim, all of whom said they were upset by comments made by Mark Croce, the owner of SkyBar, the downtown Buffalo night club where the young woman met Kane late on the night of Aug. 1 or early the next morning.
Among other things, Croce said he saw a young woman and a female friend follow Kane and a friend of Kane’s as they left the rooftop night spot around 3 a.m. Aug. 2. Croce also said he told the district attorney’s office what he observed that night at SkyBar.
The four individuals who spoke to The News all have worked with the alleged rape victim at a Buffalo-area business. The News is not identifying the business to protect the identity of the alleged rape victim.
All described her as a smart, energetic woman who was trusted and well-liked in their workplace.
“She’s a really nice girl, and it made me sick to see Mr. Croce make her look like she was some kind of gold digger, that she was out looking to pick up Pat Kane,” one of the co-workers said. “She’s really getting bashed, and it upset me. … I don’t think Mr. Croce should be making remarks like that. I don’t think it’s fair. He’s taking Pat Kane’s side in this because Pat Kane was going to have a big Stanley Cup party at his bar.”
“She does not strike me like the kind of person who would make up a story about being raped. Not at all,” the co-worker added.
A manager who has worked with the woman for the past 18 months said: “She’s a very positive person, a hard worker. … To see her mixed up in something like this came as an absolute surprise to me. For her to be a gold digger and to take advantage of a situation like that would be totally out of character for her. … I’m completely surprised.”
When asked if he thinks the woman would lie about such an incident, the manager answered: “Absolutely not.”
Similar comments came from a second manager, who has only worked with the woman for the past few months. “If she said it happened, I believe it happened. I really do,” the second manager said.
The investigation caused Kane to cancel a planned celebration last weekend at SkyBar, where he had been expected to show up with the Stanley Cup that he and his Chicago Blackhawks teammates won in June.
Instead, a small party was held at Kane’s home.
The party at Kane’s home was “more like a funeral,” according to an individual with knowledge of the private event.
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