- The suspects boarded the MSC Seaside cruise ship in Marseilles last week
- They were detained at the weekend when the ship docked in the port of Genoa
Three French men who allegedly gang-raped a 19-year-old woman on board a cruise ship have been taken into custody in Italy after the ship came into port following the attack.
The suspects boarded the MSC Seaside cruise ship in Marseilles – one of the vessel’s six stops on its circuit of the Balearic and Tyrrhenian seas – on Friday, days after the alleged victim climbed aboard in Civitavecchia, a port town just northwest of Rome.
She embarked on the cruise as part of a school trip and had spent several days on the ship with classmates before her three alleged attackers came aboard.
Hours after they boarded the MSC Seaside, the three perpetrators are said to have lured the young passenger into their cabin before forcing themselves upon her in the locked room.
The traumatised girl later reported her ordeal to the ship’s captain, who in turn notified the authorities before coming into port in Genoa at the weekend.
The suspects boarded the MSC Seaside cruise ship on Friday
Hours after they boarded the MSC Seaside, the three perpetrators are said to have lured the young passenger into their cabin before forcing themselves upon her in the locked room
MSC Seaside performs a tour of the Western Mediterranean, the Tyrrhenian and Balearic seas, stopping off at several ports in Spain, France and Italy
Upon their arrival in port, the ship was locked down with no passengers allowed to disembark while Italian police arrested the three suspects, interviewed the victim and obtained security camera footage from the ship.
The suspects will be held in Genoa while the investigation into the incident continues. It is not clear whether the victim also disembarked in Genoa.
The MSC Seaside meanwhile has since continued on its journey and will soon head for Ibiza after arriving in the port of Palermo in Sicily earlier today.
The shocking incident comes just weeks after a British holidaymaker was raped onboard a cruise ship in March, with police in Majorca arresting a Kenyan man on board the vessel.
The 27-year-old man was detained when the ship, named as MSC Fantasia, docked in the island capital Palma from Naples in Italy on March 15.
A female passenger, 33, from the UK alleged she had been raped while at high sea.
The Kenyan man, was not named but was described locally as an entertainer on the cruise liner.
Local reports said the suspect and the alleged victim had been dancing together before the alleged rape.
The man was later released on bail following a court appearance. It was not immediately clear if he was allowed to leave Majorca or had to surrender his passport.
A27-year-old man was detained when the MSC Fantasia docked in Palma on March 15 following a report from a British passenger who claimed she was raped
A female passenger, 33, from the UK alleged she had been raped while at high sea
Local reports said the man held had declined to answer questions from a judge who tried to quiz him.
The British woman left the ship so she could get examined in a hospital and give a statement to police.
MSC Fantasia was performing a similar round trip of the Western Mediterranean, but its ports of call differed somewhat to those of MSC Seaside.
A spokesman for MSC Cruises said: ‘We are aware of the incident that was reported on board MSC Fantasia.
‘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. We have an uncompromising code of conduct and do not tolerate any behaviour that puts our passengers at risk.
‘As there is a criminal investigation underway we can’t provide any further comment.’
