Young man arrested for sneaking into 18-year-old tourist's accommodation after following her through Malaga
The 18-year-old begged National Police officers to remove the foreign man from the property in the city centre
A possible serious incident was averted thanks to the collaboration and sense of social responsibility of a number of people in Malaga. It happened during the early morning of 3 July in the city centre, when a young man followed an 18-year-old tourist, who was in an inebriated state, to her accommodation flat.
The first person that reached out to the police was a waitress, who was on her way back home after her work shift. It was around 4am when she approached plainclothed officers of the National Police force - the 'Gotham' unit - and told them that she had seen a girl being followed by a man who was saying things to her. Given the girl's state, it seemed like she was unable to get rid of him, even though he was bothering her.
Initially, police thought that it was an argument between a couple. However, when they saw the girl enter a building in the distance, the man with her quickly closed the door behind him upon noticing the officers. The officers started banging on the door in case someone living there heard them. One of the residents looked through the window and saw the light on the first floor, which indicated where the police had to head.
When they knocked on the door, the girl opened it, with her face completely pale. She was still carrying her handbag and next to her was the man. Despite the language difficulties, police managed to learn that the girl was staying in that flat with some friends. They had gone out partying that night but she ended up losing sight of her friends.
Disoriented and inebriated, she tried to get back to their accommodation, but she was approached by the man - a Dutch citizen of North African origin - as she was leaving the bar. She tried to get rid of him but she couldn't. When the police officers asked whether she had invited him to the flat and whether he had touched her, she said 'no' to both questions and begged them to take him out of the flat. As to what his intentions were, she admitted that she did not know and could not even imagine.
The man was arrested for an alleged offence of breaking and entering. He has now been handed over to the courts.
