Magaluf gang-rape suspects ‘were STRANGERS who egged each other on to join attack on Brit teen, 18’ as two more arrested
THE eight Magaluf gang-rape suspects were strangers who egged each other on, according to Spanish police.
The shocking news comes after two tourists were arrested in France on Sunday morning.
They were the last suspects to be arrested after Spanish police had detained six other men on the day of the alleged gang-rape.
Spanish cops discovered the pair had flown to Germany before crossing the border en route to the French city of Strasbourg.
Civil Guard officers who have been investigating the August 14 alleged gang rape said they considered their probe had now concluded.
But a spokesman for the force revealed that the eight suspects weren’t even part of the same group and were ‘strangers’ to each other prior to the incident.
Not only that, but they allegedly ‘encouraged’ each other to join in and commit a number of acts.
The spokesman said: “The Civil Guard has closed the investigation sparked by the alleged gang rape that took place in a hotel in Magaluf in the early hours of August 14.”
He added: “Officers saw early on the complexity of the investigation, as the alleged aggressors didn’t form part of the same group of friends but encouraged by other participants, had allegedly joined the group action in sporadic acts, meaning no type of relationship existed between them.”
Confirming the first six suspects had been held the day of the alleged sex attack and remanded in prison, the force said in a statement: “The probe continued to identify the two young men whose arrests were pending.
“Once they had been identified, officers discovered they had taken a flight to Baden-Baden in Germany so they could head to their homes in the Strasbourg area.
“The Civil Guard sought the assistance of the French authorities through the normal channels and issued European Arrest Warrants to avoid them evading justice.
“On Sunday the French police confirmed they arrested one of them in the French locality of Scherwiller before subsequently confirming a second arrest at Basilea Mulhouse Freiburg Airport in France, when that suspect was trying to take a flight to Turkey to avoid detention.”
Earlier this week, it was reported the first of the Magaluf gang-rape suspects was held after Spanish police got him to answer the ‘stolen’ mobile phone of the British teenager allegedly targeted.
The French youngster picked up the phone and then went with two holiday pals to the lobby of the hotel where the sex attack allegedly took place unaware they would be met by the teenager and detectives assisting her, Majorcan newspaper Ultima Hora reported.
All three were arrested on the spot before the other three suspects were located over the following hours after the 18-year-old gave police their descriptions.
The woman’s phone was taken by the men during the alleged gang-rape, Ultima Hora reported.
Over the weekend it also emerged the judge who refused the six suspects bail and remanded them in prison pending an ongoing criminal probe had concluded the Brit teen had suffered “really humiliating and degrading treatment” and described the men’s claims sex was consensual as “completely preposterous.”
Mobile phone footage of the alleged sex attack, seized by police on the suspects’ phones and handed over to the investigating judge, is said to have shown the men had been “enjoying themselves and laughing”.
The criminal investigation has now been passed on to Palma’s Court of Instruction Number Two, having been dealt with by a duty court in its initial stages.
The suspects held on the day of the alleged gang-rape are a Swiss national aged 20 and five Frenchmen aged 18 to 26.
They were remanded in custody last Tuesday after appearing before a judge at a duty court in the Majorcan capital Palma in a hearing held behind closed doors.
The British teenager, who gave a statement to police as well as the investigating judge in court, has now flown back to the UK with a female holiday friend.
Police have already confirmed they found footage on the suspects’ mobile phones showing the alleged multiple rape that is now in the hands of the investigating judge and could form a “key part” of the case.
Local reports say the number of videos totalled more than 20, although the Civil Guard which made the arrests following the alleged sex attack at the BH Mallorca Resort in Magaluf has not commented officially on the claims.
The six suspects are understood to be alleging they had consensual sex with the British teenager after meeting her at a party.
BH Mallorca Resort, the hotel where the alleged sex attack took place, has said it is cooperating fully with police and offered its support to the unnamed holidaymaker.
A spokesman said in a statement released last Thursday: “The BH Mallorca Resort deeply regrets what has happened and would like to manifest its firm and forceful repudiation of the alleged sexual attack that occurred in the early hours of Monday August 14 at the hotel.
“The hotel also wants to demonstrate its solidarity with the alleged victim of this aggression.
“We are co-operating fully with the Civil Guard and its investigators in everything they consider to be necessary.
“This hotel ratifies through this statement its commitment to the condemnation of all types of sexual attacks that affect peoples’ dignity and physical integrity.
“Behaviour that undermines those rights has no place in this establishment.”
The hotel said it would be making no further comment for the time being.
A security guard at the hotel reportedly came to the rescue of the 18-year-old Brit after finding her sobbing on the floor in the lobby.
He called police after finding her around 5am on Monday, recalling how he just come in for his morning shift and describing the police response as very quick and efficient.
Unconfirmed local reports say grip marks were found on the British teenager’s arms during the hospital examination by a medic.
Investigators have already looked at CCTV images the hotel has provided and carried out an inspection of the room where the alleged gang rape took place.
The men held and remanded in prison have not yet been charged with any crime as is normal in Spain where formal charges are only laid shortly before trial.
At this stage they are ‘investigados’ in an ongoing criminal probe, which means they are under formal investigation.
It is not known if the British teenager has hired her own lawyer.
The four-star adults-only BH Mallorca Resort describes itself as the “best accommodation option in Magaluf”on its website.
It has its own beach club with over 100 VIP beds, a DJ booth and dance floor.
How you can get help
Women's Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
- Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – messageinfo@supportline.org.uk.
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service – available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.