The police arrested five men in connection to the alleged sexual assault of two teenage girls in Adelaide on Saturday. The incident occurred in a car park in the city’s central business district. The two victims, who were aged 18 and 19, were attacked at around 11pm on December 3.
According to the ABC, the victims were forced into a stairwell, where they were repeatedly raped. A 20-year-old man was charged with rape after he appeared in court on Monday. A 17-year-old boy from Blair Athol was also arrested and charged with the same offense.
He appeared in the Youth Court of Adelaide on the same day. A man from a nearby suburb was apprehended on Tuesday and charged with multiple counts of rape. He was also accused of inducing a witness to provide false evidence. A 17-year-old was additionally arrested on the same day.
He was granted police bail and was scheduled to appear in the Youth Court on January 19. On Wednesday, the police arrested a man from the suburb of Clearview and charged him with multiple counts of rape. He was refused bail and was scheduled to appear in court later that day.
During the bail hearing, prosecutor Amanda Sparnan stated that some of the men involved in the incident raped the victims while others watched. According to her, one of the women saw her friend being attacked by the other men as she could see a gap in the stairwell.
She also stated that one of the victims managed to escape, but she was allegedly attacked again. The court heard that the women were offered money to not take action against the accused. The investigations are still ongoing, and the police are encouraging other people who were involved in the incident to come forward.
The court heard that the women were allegedly offered cannabis and alcohol by a group of men as they passed the car park early on the morning of December 3.
The identities of the men and the two 17-year-old youths have been protected by interim suppression orders. The police are also asking for anyone who can help them identify the individuals involved in the incident.