Teen Cruise Ship Passenger Gang Raped By Other Passengers; Suspects Arrested On Dock
Three men allegedly gang raped a 19-year-old passenger on board a cruise ship touring the Western Mediterranean seas.
The victim reportedly climbed aboard the cruise ship in Civitavecchia, northwest of Rome as part of a school trip. After spending several days cruising with her classmates, her alleged perpetrators boarded the ship in Marseille on Friday, according to the Daily Mail.
A few hours after the suspects -- identified as three French men -- boarded the vessel, they allegedly lured the teen into their cabin and sexually assaulted her.
Authorities were notified of the alleged incident after the teen reported what happened to her to the ship's captain. This led to a total lockdown of the vessel when they arrived at the port in Genoa last weekend.
With no passengers allowed to embark, the three men were arrested. They will be held in the Italian city for investigation with the help of the surveillance footage obtained from the ship.
After the incident, the cruise ship reportedly continued its journey on the circuit of the Balearic and Tyrrhenian seas. It will soon head to Ibiza.
The outlet did not name the cruise ship, the victim and the three suspects.
Last March, a 33-year-old woman from the United Kingdom was also allegedly raped while onboard the MSC Fantasia cruise ship, according to the Daily Mail.
The holidaymaker and the suspect, a Kenyan man working as an entertainer on the cruise liner, were said to be dancing together before the alleged sexual assault took place.
After the 27-year-old Kenyan entertainer was held on the ship when it docked in Palma on March 15, he was reportedly released on bail after appearing in court.
"This was reported to the appropriate law enforcement authorities and we are assisting with their investigation. The safety of our passengers is our number one priority," a spokesman for MSC Cruises said at the time.
"We have an uncompromising code of conduct and do not tolerate any behavior that puts our passengers at risk."
