Man charged after female British police officer, 23, 'raped at knifepoint by Eiffel Tower'
20 October 2023, 20:36
A man has been charged after a female British police officer said she was raped near the base of the Eiffel Tower.
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The woman, 23, told French authorities she was attacked by a man wielding a knife in the Champs de Mars, a park near the base of the iconic Paris tourist attraction.
The attack took place shortly before midnight on Monday evening, the woman told local police.
The Paris public prosecutor's office later said a man was arrested "for allegedly raping a British tourist on the Champ de Mars".
The suspect, born in 1988 in Chatenay-Malabry, a south-western suburb of Paris, appeared in a magistrate's court on Thursday charged with rape. He was remanded in custody.
The woman was staying overnight with a friend in Paris.
The suspect, who is accused of wielding a knife, is said to have attacked her after she went behind a bush to relieve herself.
She was away from her friend for only a few moments when he struck.
This is the second report of rape in the Champs de Mars in only four months.
After a Mexican tourist said she was assaulted, two men were arrested and later released.
