Girl, 14, ‘dragged behind bush and raped whereas ready for bus’ as 40-year-old man arrested

A 14-year-old girl was reportedly dragged behind a bush and raped while she waited for the bus.

Police have now arrested a 40-year-old man in connection with the incident, which occurred on Friday night (October 25) in the Italian city of Bolzano.

The girl reported that just before 8pm, she was waiting for the bus with her headphones on, when she was approached by a man who asked her for directions. When he began to make sexual advances, the girl tried to run away, at which point the man allegedly ‘jumped on her, grabbed her and dragged her behind a bush’, Italian outlet Corriere Del Trentino reports.

The girl said she screamed for help as she was allegedly raped but no one heard her. The ordeal reportedly ended after around 15 minutes when the girl managed to elbow her attacker and escape the scene.

After the attack was reported to police, a 40-year-old man was arrested attempting to board a bus to the city centre. Police said that the man, a resident of Bolzano who is of Pakistani origin, has been detained and arrested on suspicion of aggravated sexual assault.

On Saturday, the man appeared before a judge, who ordered he was detained in prison as he was considered a flight risk.

The teen is set to be interviewed again in the coming days as police try to get a more complete account of the alleged attack.

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