1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
Crime

Four Germans held over Mallorca gang rape

July 5, 2019

An 18-year-old German woman reported the alleged attack, in a hotel room in the northeast of the island, to police. The men were detained at Palma De Mallorca airport as they checked in for their return flight.

https://p.dw.com/p/3Lbyq
Palma de Mallorca Airport
Image: Imago Images/U. Gottschalk

Four German men have been detained on the Spanish holiday island of Mallorca in connection with the alleged gang rape of an 18-year-old woman.

The men were held as they checked in for their return flight at Palma De Mallorca airport on Thursday morning following the attack in the early hours of the same morning.

The victim told police that she had been raped by two of the men in the presence of two others at a hotel in the northeastern resort of Cala Ratjada, 80 kilometers (49 miles) from the island's capital, Palma.

Read more: Mallorca aims for refined cocktails, not party tourism

Regional newspapers Diario de Mallorca and Ultima Hora cited police as saying that the woman got to know the men when they were out partying and voluntarily went with them to the hotel room.

Ultima Hora said the victim's testimony described how two of her attackers then pounced on her, and despite her protests, one of them held her hands while the other performed a sex act.

'Attack filmed'

According to media reports, the men filmed the rape on their phones.

After the alleged attack, the young woman immediately went to the police and filed a complaint.

A medical examination found the victim had sustained injuries consistent with a recent sexual assault.

Read more: Spain: "Wolf Pack" given 15 years for rape

Three of the men were due to appear in court on Friday, accused of gang rape, aiding and abetting, and concealing a crime.

If convicted, they could face up to 15 years' imprisonment.

The fourth man was released without charge on Thursday.

mm/jm (AFP, dpa)

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.