An Australian tourist was gang-raped by five African men in Paris before fleeing to a kebab shop where one of her attackers followed her inside.
The woman, 25, was attacked at about 3am on Saturday morning near Boulevard de Clichy in the French capital’s 18th arrondissement, close to the famous Moulin Rouge cabaret, just days before the Olympic Games is due to begin.
She sought refuge in a nearby kebab shop with her dress on backwards and partially torn, only for one of her rapists to confront her again, CCTV footage from the store obtained by 7 News shows.
The footage shows the victim being helped by customers and staff before an African man in black pants and a white T-shirt walks in.
According to 7 News she tried to tell locals he was one of the attackers, but they were unable to speak English.
As he made an order and lingered in the shop, she was able to alert an English speaker, who confronted the African.
He the fled the shop just minutes before police arrived.
The kebab store owner said: “She couldn’t stop crying, her dress was damaged.”
A local told the TV network that sex attacks were becoming increasingly common in Paris.
“It happens a lot of time in France, it happens every day,” he said.
Paris police statistics from earlier this year showed that 77% of the solved rape cases in 2023 were committed by non-citizens, and most were committed in or near tourist areas. Paris is 20.3% foreign-born.
The city’s prosecutor’s office said: “The investigation into the charge of gang rape likely to have been committed on the night of July 19 to 20 has been entrusted to the 2nd judicial police district.”
The victim was due to return to Australia the day after she was gang-raped, but is now staying to assist with the investigation after being treated at Bichat hospital.
