An English tourist was raped in the villa where she was staying in the luxury resort of Vale do Lobo. The suspected rapist was apprehended by the Faro Judicial Police (PJ) four days after the incident.
The Correio da Manhã newspaper reports that the victim was a 21-year-old woman on holiday with her boyfriend. At 1pm, she heard a knock on the villa door and opened the door, whereby the assailant forced his way into the villa, threatened her with a knife, overpowered her and had sexual intercourse with her. It is believed that he had been shadowing the couple because the attack occurred just after her boyfriend had gone out. The assailant left before the victim‘s boyfriend returned but the victim was able to phone the police. The British Consul in Portimão was contacted soon after.
The Associação Portuguesa de Apoio à Vítima (APAV), the Portuguese Victim Support Association was immediately notified by the British Consul in Portimão and a member of the APAV was sent to the hospital to offer psychological assistance to the victim. The woman underwent observation at Faro District Hospital, was interviewed by Faro PJ and returned home to the UK.
The British Consul contacted The Resident, confirming that “a British girl was attacked at her holiday accommodation at Vale de Lobo on Friday, September 22. We are providing full consular assistance and support to the lady concerned, including advice on local legal procedures. The police have told us that they have arrested a man in connection with the attack. In view of the extremely sensitive nature of this case, we are unable to provide any further details.”
The PJ in Faro has not been able to confirm the details printed in the Correio da Manhã, nor has the Vale do Lobo Public Relations office. The only concrete information is that there is a suspect in police custody at the moment.
