A 23-year-old man has been charged and remanded in custody after an American tourist was raped in a public toilet in central Paris, in a case that has caused shock in the busy river area that was thought to be safe.
The 27-year-old woman was out with her partner along the Seine in the heart of Paris’ tourist district, not far from Notre Dame Cathedral and Paris City Hall, on Saturday night.
The waterfront promenade is the focal point of the summer event on Paris’ Right Bank, Paris Plages, and is lively both day and night, with tourists and Parisians going out for drinks or picnicking by the river in the evening.
Just after 1am, the woman stopped to use a public toilet near the Louis Philippe Bridge in the fourth arrondissement. The toilet, not far from local bars, is considered safe and well-kept. It was part of a new development built six years ago when the waterfront became car-free.
Local newspaper Le Parisien reported that the woman’s partner was waiting for her but worried it was taking too long. He approached the toilet and heard crying, then found his partner assaulted.
Security forces in the area came to the rescue and police arrested the man, who lives in Asnières-sur-Seine outside Paris. In initial police interviews, he denied the rape and said the woman consented.
The woman was immediately taken to a Paris hospital. After testifying to the police, she and her partner flew back to the United States.