Inebriated 16-year-old girl gang-raped by 30 men as they lined up outside hotel room to take turns, 2 arrested
A 16-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped by a group of 30 men in the coastal resort of Eilat in Israel, police said. Israeli law enforcement has arrested two men so far as part of their investigation into allegations that the girl was repeatedly sexually assaulted while she was inebriated in a hotel room. The victim, who was not identified, went to the authorities last Friday, the Daily Mail reported. The alleged gang-rape was "not just a crime against the girl, it is a crime against humanity," Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
According to the Times of Israel, one suspect has admitted to authorities that a large group of men engaged in sexual intercourse with the girl. However, he claims it was consensual.
Meanwhile, some of the attackers allegedly filmed the disturbing ordeal on their cellphones, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported. That said, the first suspect's arrest came after authorities obtained messages indicating there was video footage of the alleged rape.
The girl was not a guest at the hotel, police said, but had visited the restroom following a drinking session with some of her pals. From there, she was allegedly taken to one of the hotel rooms and raped by a "group of men who did not all know each other," the Sun reported.
What's more? One of the suspects arrested claimed that men had "lined up" outside the room before going inside and taking turns to assault her. Another attacker allegedly entered the room pretending to be a medic who wanted to help the teenager.
A friend of the victim told Israeli television how he "took advantage of her and slept with her when she was out of control." One man has been remanded in custody by a magistrate's court as authorities await the results of a medical examination.
According to local media, both arrested suspects are aged 27. "This is shocking, there is no other word," Prime Minister Netanyahu said of the allegations on Twitter. "This is not just a crime against the girl, it is a crime against humanity itself that deserves all condemnation and that those responsible for it should be brought to justice," he added.
קראנו הבוקר, רעייתי שרה ואני, על פרשיית האונס באילת כפי שפורסמה. זה מזעזע, אין מילה אחרת. זהו לא רק פשע נגד הנערה, זה פשע נגד האנושיות עצמה שראוי לכל גינוי ושיש למצות את הדין עם האחראים לו.
— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) August 20, 2020
"What is a man who is standing on a crowded line with dozens of others, on the way to a room where a young, disoriented girl is lying down, trying to prove?" Netanyahu's coalition partner and defense minister Benny Gantz asked. "The police investigation is still underway, but it's important that I convey a message to those who participated or bore witness to this case or others: The only thing you've proven is what depravity of your soul and morality you are capable of," he added.
Last year, 12 Israeli men were detained after a British teenager alleged that they raped her in Ayia Napa, Cyprus. However, the 19-year-old alleged victim later withdrew her accusation and claimed she was forced by Cypriot police to drop the case. As a result, the men were released from custody.
The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was given a suspended sentence in January this year "after being found guilty of public mischief," the Daily Mail reported. At the time, the UK government said it had "numerous concerns about the judicial process in this case and the woman’s right to a fair trial."