GERMANY: Police solve mystery surrounding a young man who for nine months claimed his name was Ray and that he had lived in the forest for five years

Record ID: 861117

  • Title: GERMANY: Police solve mystery surrounding a young man who for nine months claimed his name was Ray and that he had lived in the forest for five years
  • Date: 16th June 2012
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (German) BERLIN POLICE SPOKESMAN, KLAUS SCHUBERT, SAYING: "Since he lived here for nine months and was also fed, based on false grounds, we obviously need to consider charging him with fraud." POLICE SIGN (SOUNDBITE) (German) BERLIN POLICE SPOKESMAN, KLAUS SCHUBERT, SAYING: "He received a legal guardian and in his talks with that guardian, he repeatedly said he does not want his picture to be published. We had to respect that. All other possibilities to identify him remained unsuccessful." SIGN (SOUNDBITE) (German) BERLIN POLICE SPOKESMAN, KLAUS SCHUBERT, SAYING: "He had clean hands and clean nails. For someone who claims to have lived in the woods for five years he was well-dressed and also had a change of clothes with him."
  • Embargoed: 1st July 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany
  • City:
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: Crime,Quirky,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVA656YN257TRYBTAZUCPRN9C1TM
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: German police on Friday (June 15) solved the mystery surrounding a young man who for nine months claimed his name was Ray and that he had lived in the forest for five years.
    Ray, whose real name is Robin and who is aged 20, turned up at Berlin's city hall last September telling authorities he was 17 years old and asked for help.
    The youth, who speaks fluent English, according to police and German media reports, told Berlin authorities he and his father "Ryan" had lived together in the wild until his father died in August 2011.
    "Two days ago, police published a photograph of the boy who called himself Ray, asking the public for help in identifying him," Berlin police spokesman Klaus Schubert said.
    "We had to assume that somewhere out there, someone would know him, even if it's not in Germany but maybe in a neighbouring country. This appeal was a success and people called up from the Netherlands."
    Schubert said: "This morning we confronted him and told him: 'You are not Ray but Robin from the Netherlands.' He immediately replied: 'Yes, that's true."
    According to Schubert, German authorities are now looking into charging Robin for damages caused by fraud.
    Berlin police decided to publish Ray's photograph after all other means to identify the young man had failed.
    "He received a legal guardian and in his talks with that guardian, he repeatedly said he does not want his picture to be published. We had to respect that," said police spokesman Schubert.
    Before Ray was identified as Robin from the Netherlands, police had described him as "1.8 metres tall with blond hair, blue eyes and an athletic build."
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