Three Alicante men stand trial for gang rape of British tourist
The attack occurred in 2016 when the young woman was on holiday in Benidorm with her family
The trial has begun this week of three men accused of drugging, raping and robbing a 24-year-old British tourist when she was holidaying with her family in Benidorm. The Prosecutor’s Office has requested that each defendant be handed down a sentence of 29 years and three months for their crimes.
Testifying from the UK via video link, the victim recalled the harrowing events of October 2, 2016. She told the court that she was approached by the suspects while smoking a cigarette outside a pub, and was taken to a park where she was raped, semi-conscious, by all three.
The British woman is adamant that she must have been drugged by her attackers, since she had consumed only three or four alcoholic beverages all night.
Her next recollection is waking up, half naked, in the car in the middle of a remote field, where she had been sexually assaulted again. She fled and made her way back to the hotel where she told her mother what had happened and phoned the police.
While the men plead their innocence, the tourist said she did not agree to have sexual relations with the accused and admitted that she is still taking medication as a result of the trauma.
One defendant, a Spanish national, told the court that he had consensual sex with the girl but he did admit that his two friends have a history of attacking and robbing drunken holidaymakers.
Another, a north African, completely denied any relations with the victim and said he simply drove her and the other men to a nightclub.
The third alleged attacker, also from north Africa, didn’t take the stand but a statement was read on his behalf. He claims that all three had sex with the British tourist but that it was consensual.
The trio also stands accused of robbing the victim of a ring and a watch worth 497 euros.
Image: Zarateman via Wikimedia Commons
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