Pregnant woman arrested over immigration status while trying to report rape to police
KEY POINTS
- Woman taken into custody after making claim she had been raped and kidnapped in Germany.
- Campiagn groups condemn "shocking and incredibly upsetting" incident.
A woman who went to police claiming she was kidnapped and raped was subsequently arrested over her immigration status, according to reports.
The woman, who was five months pregnant at the time, claimed she had been kidnapped and raped in Germany between September 2016 and March 2017. She made the statement on walking into a police station in London in March.
After reporting the claim, she was taken to the Havens sexual assault centre, which provides care for women who have been sexually assaulted in the capital.
She was then arrested and taken into custody for questioning regarding her immigration status, reports politics.co.uk.
The Havens centre is said to have made a formal complaint about the incident, even discussing the matter with Met Police commissioner Cressida Dick when she visited the centre.
Fizza Qureshi, director of the Migrants' Rights Network, said: "It is shocking and incredibly upsetting to hear of this situation, where a rape victim is treated as a criminal rather than getting the care and support she needs.
"If the police are treating victims of crime who happen to be undocumented migrants as perpetrators, it will deter other victims and witnesses from coming forward. There must be avenues of safe-reporting for all victims regardless of their immigration status."
A Met Police spokesperson confirmed the Child and Sexual Offences Unit has referred the allegations of rape and kidnap to the German authorities.
