A 49-YEAR-OLD Egyptian man was remanded for six days on Monday by the Nicosia District Court for the attempted rape of a 14-year-old girl.
The incident is said to have occurred on Sunday afternoon when the girl was walking past the man’s house. The man, who is in Cyprus on a work visa, was said to be in his garden at the time and that when he spotted the girl he signalled to her to come towards him.
According to reports, the girl approached the man who then invited her into his home. When she hesitated, the young girl claimed he pushed her inside with force. She said he grabbed her arms and aggressively asked to make love. The girl said she refused and then said the man threatened to cut off her head.
The girl told police the man tried to kiss her and then covered her mouth to muffle her cries. She said her assailant managed to remove parts of his clothing and continued to assault her.
It was during this time that another man walked into the house and found the two struggling.
The Egyptian man then allegedly pleaded with the stranger who had walked in not to tell anyone of what he had seen and quickly left his home.
In the meantime, suspecting neighbours had called the girl’s parents had also been informed that their daughter had been dragged into a stranger’s house by.
Her parents and the neighbours immediately went to the house to find their daughter safe. They reported the incident to the police who began a search for the assailant but he was nowhere to be found.
Police took testimonies from neighbours and witnesses as well as the young girl herself in the presence of her parents. Once her statement was given the girl was taken to hospital and examined by a pathologist.
According to the pathologist, the girl had sustained no external wounds nor did test results show that she had been sexually assaulted.
The man was located at 1.30am on Monday and later on that morning was taken to court and given a six-day remand. He was charged for kidnapping, attempted rape and indecent assault.
When questioned after his arrest the man denied attempting to rape or attack the girl. Some of his further claims are being investigated.
