Just days before the opening of the 2024 Olympics in the French capital, an Australian woman was allegedly gang-raped by five men in Paris. Following the alleged incident, the French police are investigating the matter. No arrests have been made yet but the officers are treating the probe as "gang rape."
According to the Paris Prosecutor's Office, the gang-rape was allegedly committed on the night of July 19 to 20, the New York Post reported.
What The CCTV Footage Shows
In a harrowing CCTV footage shared by the New York Post, the Australian woman can be seen seeking refuge inside a kebab shop after she was allegedly gang-raped.
The 25-year-old tourist can be found disoriented and unable to communicate in French as she seeks help outside the kebab shop, located on Boulevard de Clichy in Paris' 18th administrative district on Saturday, at around 5 AM, New York Post reported.
Besides being reportedly found in a stunned state, she was wearing her dress "backward", which was partially torn off. She told the customers and staff at the shop that she was raped by five men.
At that moment, a man also entered the shop and patted her on the back, when she gestured he was her attacker. He was then confronted by a customer after which he fled from the spot.
The CCTV footage is also being looked at as part of the probe, BBC reported.
According to French newspaper Le Parisien, the restaurant owners called for help when they saw the woman's state. Firefighters looked after her after the alleged assault and took her to Bichat hospital for medical examination, BBC reported.
The New York Post stated that the shopkeeper told 7News (Australian TV news service) that the woman could not stop crying and was carrying her underwear in her hand. Her phone had also been stolen.
Australian Consulate & French Police Supporting Victim
The woman was planning to travel back to her country but has now decided to stay back in Paris to help cops with the investigation to nab the culprits.
The Australian Embassy in Paris is also making "urgent inquiries with French authorities following reports of an Australian citizen assaulted in Paris," a spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told 7 News.
"The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade stands ready to provide consular assistance," it said.
Australian chef de mission, Anna Meares, expressed her shock over the alleged assault and said: "I have been informed, it sounds horrific. Obviously, our hearts go out to the woman involved, and we hope she's being cared for and supported in the trauma she's experienced," The Guardian reported.
The victim is being supported by the Asutralian consulate and French police.
"An investigation has been opened and we have CCTV camera footage and DNA that should allow us to very quickly establish what happened and arrest those responsible," The Guardian reported citing a source at the French interior ministry.
The crime allegedly took place despite the heavy police deployment across Paris in view of the upcoming Olympics, slated to begin on Friday.
Officers have been patrolling Paris in huge numbers since last week, with armed guards around the River Seine, BBC News reported.
The Chief of Public Affairs and Communication for Australia's Olympics team, Strath Gordon, stated that the Australian atheletes have been directed to not wear the team kit in public places and have also been informed of the attack.