NEW YORK - City Police Commissioner James O'Neill is apologizing on behalf of the NYPD for the way it handled a rape case in 1994.

In April of that year, a woman told police she was attacked inside Prospect Park.

She was discredited after Daily News columnist Mike McAlary cited unnamed police sources who said she made it all up.

Those sources claimed the woman wanted to bolster a speech about violence against lesbians.

DNA testing later verified that the woman was attacked by a serial rapist.

In a letter published online, O'Neill said the department let her down in almost every way possible.

He added, "We know the damage that sexual assaults inflict on survivors. Compounding that damage with insensitive comments and wild conspiracy theories only further amplifies the cruelty and injustice of the initial crime itself. For that, I am deeply and profoundly sorry."