La Ciotat France: Brit tourist, 37, 'raped in back seat of French police car while handcuffed' in historic port town between Marseille and Nice
A British tourist has accused a police officer of raping her while she was handcuffed in the back of his police car in the south of France.
The 37-year-old holidaymaker has said she was picked up from a street in La Ciotat, a historic port town between Marseille and Nice, by three policemen. It is believed that on September 10 the woman filed a complaint about the incident, said to have occurred the night before.
She said she was detained by authorities for "obvious drunkenness" and then placed in handcuffs and told to sit inside the police car. According to the complaint, a police officer then sat next to her in the car and started kissing her before he allegedly "penetrated her".
One officer remains in custody having been charged with "rape and sexual assault by a person abusing the authority conferred on them by their position" three days after the woman's complaint was made. Another was charged with "wilful failure to prevent a crime of offence against the integrity of a person" and was placed under judicial supervision.
The third policeman has been placed under assisted witness status, meaning they are implicated in a crime but there is not yet enough evidence for formal indictment. French newspaper Liberation was the first to report on the incident after it was made aware of it by public prosecutor Nicolas Bessone.
It is understood the woman is being supported by a charity which works with victims of sexual assault.