Peter Roebuck was a well-known and highly respected cricket journalist who is known the world over for his commentary, especially with regards to international cricket matches. He doesn't have a dark past. He has no criminal record. He is squeaky clean, at least as far as we know.

Yet his death was soon reported not to be of natural causes, but rather that it was suicide. It was first rumoured then confirmed that he had committed suicide by jumping out of his hotel window. A later rumour suggested that he had killed himself rather than face justice surrounding his rape of young boys, as he was about to be arrested. It has since been confirmed that police were investigating him, but not for rape, and not of young boys, but rather for the attempted rape of an adult university-aged man, who Roebuck had given housing to. Chillingly, not only were police investigating him, but they were in his room at the time of his death. Neil Maxwell, a fellow cricket journalist and friend of Roebuck, had chatted to him just 10 minutes before his death before police forced him to leave the room. 10 minutes later, with police in the room, Roebuck leapt to his death.

I do not know Roebuck so don't know what kind of dark past he may have had. All that has been reported is that he had once hit a university student under his care, hitting him with a cane for disobedience. Roebuck went to jail for this crime and has admitted guilt and apologised for it. But this is physical misconduct, not sexual. And, of note, just 20 years ago, such an act would have been perfectly acceptable, such has the world changed in terms of the rights of children. As someone who would have grown up in a time when beatings by teachers were normal and commonplace, it seems reasonable to suggest that Roebuck may have thought that it was still reasonable.

There is no talk of Roebuck being gay, or of liking underage boys. While this was rumoured, the actual accusation was made by a university student, who, naturally, was an adult. Roebuck was not being accused of rape but rather of attempted rape.
 

I do not know if Roebuck was guilty. Perhaps he was. If so, he should have been prosecuted to the full extent of the law. But looking at what we know, it seems more likely that it was a case of a student who didn't like Roebuck's high levels of discipline and sought to invent something as payback for it. Perhaps Roebuck hit this student too. Or perhaps he used other methods of discipline that were not illegal. Perhaps even there was some kind of a misunderstanding that took place.
 

I have a significant problem with police being in the room when he committed suicide.
 

Police are obligated to prevent a suspect from running away and from causing anyone any harm, including themselves. If they were in the room when he committed suicide, then they are negligent in their duties and would face serious disciplinary proceedings, potentially losing their positions as police officers. The fact that they had just 10 minutes earlier forced the friend, Neil Maxwell, to leave the room, suggests a degree of force or intimidation involved, which may have led to Roebuck feeling the need to commit suicide.
 

But the fact that there were no witnesses other than the 2 police officers, and presumably no cameras, adds another dimension.
 

We all know how rapists are viewed globally. Rapists are viewed as scum who should die. Many police officers share this view. And perhaps worse if it is male on male rape, which is hence gay as well. And South Africa is a place well known for its discriminatory views.
 

I think that a murder investigation against the two police officers should be undertaken. I don't know if they committed the murder but I think that an investigation should be undertaken to find out.
 

If Roebuck was murdered because someone thought that he might be guilty of rape, but he wasn't, then that is a grave crime indeed. I am disgusted with the South African police force right now for robbing us of this great cricket writer. Any way you look at it, they are responsible for his death.

By : Adrian Meredith