A Belgian teenager has been arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting a young British tourist off Rhodes.
The 16-year-old alleged victim told police on Monday that she had been groped twice without her consent while in the sea near the Ialysos seafront, in Greece.
She, with her father, complained that the 15-year-old suspect had made inappropriate contact in the water on the beach in front of their hotel.
The suspect was questioned and insisted that the girl had consented, according to Greek media.
The pair knew each other and ‘maintained a friendly relationship’ during their stay at the hotel, Dimokariki reports.
Police arrested the 15-year-old by 10pm, some four hours after they were first called to the hotel.
The consular authorities in the UK and Belgium respectively have been made aware.
Ialysos is a small town and popular beachside resort on the island of Rhodes, in the Dodecanese.
FILE PHOTO: Ialysos beach in the island of Rhodes, Greece
FILE PHOTO: An aerial view of the coastal town of Ialysos, on Rhodes
Police were initially called to the hotel at 17.50pm on Monday, July 21.
They met the British girl with her father in the hotel and heard that the suspect had ‘molested’ the girl while they were in the water, on the busy beach near the hotel.
Police heard that the pair had become friends while staying together at the unnamed hotel.
The young girl was examined by a psychologist, Greek media reports.
The 15-year-old did not deny the allegations, but insisted the girl had consented.
He was arrested later that evening and brought before the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
