Moroccan man, 22, is arrested over rape of ‘young’ Brit tourist who was attacked in Spanish nightspot while on holiday with her family

A Moroccan man has been arrested over the rape of a British holidaymaker on Spain’s Costa Blanca – a year after the attack.

The 22-year-old was detained after a lengthy investigation and “more than a year of extensive analysis of evidence”, the Guardia Civil said.

The British tourist, described as ‘young’, was on holiday with her family when she was sexually assaulted during a night out in Pilar de la Horadada, Alicante province, last August.

She reported the crime to detectives at the time before flying back to Britain with her family.

Starting with just a photo of the suspect’s friend, investigators worked tirelessly to track him down in the northern city of Logroño, 500 miles away.

A spokesperson for the Guardia Civil in Alicante said: ‘The Guardia Civil, with the cooperation of local police in Pilar de la Horadada and Logroño, has arrested a man as the suspected author of the rape of a young foreign tourist.’

He added: ‘The incident occurred on August 15, 2022 when a young British tourist, who was on holiday in Spain with her family, suffered a sexual assault near a popular entertainment district in Pilar de la Horadada.

‘The victim filed a report, but could not provide any information about her aggressor.

‘Police began collecting evidence as part of an operation codenamed Iven to prevent him from absconding.

“The victim was with a female friend when she met the alleged aggressor and a male friend of his.

‘The rape took place when the victim and the alleged aggressor were alone at some point.

“Initially, investigators only had the photo of the suspect’s friend, which led officers to Logroño in the province of La Rioja, where the friend was located and identified.

‘After more than a year of in-depth analysis of the evidence, the alleged aggressor was identified, a man known to police and of no fixed abode.

‘He is a 22-year-old Moroccan. He was accused of rape.”

The suspect was reportedly released on bail after appearing behind the judge in a closed court hearing. The judicial investigation is still ongoing.

A number of British holidaymakers went to police this year to report sex crimes in Spain, while several others were arrested on suspicion of committing them.

Last month, a British man was accused of raping his son’s girlfriend at a hotel in Magaluf and warned he could face up to nine years in prison if convicted.

The 43-year-old’s lawyers failed to reach a plea deal with prosecutors at a Mallorca court today.

The hearing in the island capital Palma ended with a trial in February next year over the alleged sexual assault in May.

The suspect, who has not been named by police or court officials ahead of his trial, was detained at Palma airport over the alleged rape after he ‘packed his bags and tried to return to Britain hours later’.

The British woman, believed to be around 20 years old, told investigators she was forced to have sex after spending the last night of her holiday in the same room as her boyfriend and his father as she returned to Britain hours later and had already checked out. of her own room.

The older man allegedly surprised her in the middle of the night after he ‘took advantage’ of her drinking a large amount of alcohol and being fast asleep on a sofa bed, despite her waking up and begging him to stop to hold.

According to reports, the man’s son was still partying at the time.

In another case, a British 18-year-old was allegedly raped in a hotel in Magaluf in the early hours of August 14.

Five French nationals and one Swiss national were arrested and remanded in custody pending an ongoing judicial investigation, and a further two suspects were subsequently detained in France on European arrest warrants.