Three of the five French men accused of gang raping a Norwegian woman and sexually harassing her friend in Spain’s popular coastal city Benidorm, were remanded in custody without bail in the early hours of Friday morning, following an order from the instructing judge. The other two men accused were given provisional release.
The women met the suspects via the social app Tinder
The judge overseeing the case issued the order after hearing testimony from the suspects, four tourists aged 19 and an 18-year-old who were on holiday in the popular tourist destination in Alicante province. The judge also heard from the two victims, aged 20, who were spending the summer vacation in the nearby town of Alfaz del Pi, and met the suspects on Wednesday via the social app Tinder.
After arranging to meet in Benidorm, the group decided to go back to the apartment the French men had rented. One of the women left after being allegedly sexually abused, while her friend decided to stay. When the two women met up again hours later, the friend said she had been gang raped after the other left. The victims then went to a health center at 1.45am in Alaz de Pi, where they explained what had happened and underwent a medical examination. A doctor informed the Civil Guard and officers arrested two of the men at 4am and the other three, half an hour later. According to the women, the men were planning on returning to France the next day.
The suspects were taken to a courtroom in Benidorm at 11.25am on Thursday and gave their testimony after 5:30pm. They are being helped by a lawyer from the French consulate, according to Spanish news agency EFE.
English version by Melissa Kitson.
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