Disturbing CCTV footage has emerged of the moment a young Australian woman sought refuge inside a kebab shop after she was allegedly gang-raped by five men in Paris.
The 25-year-old tourist was found disoriented and unable to speak French outside a kebab shop on Boulevard de Clichy in Paris’ 18th arrondissement about 5 a.m. Saturday, just yards from Moulin Rouge.
She was reportedly found in a stunned state with her dress “backward” and partially torn off, claiming she’d been raped by five people.
CCTV footage has been released showing the terrified woman running into the kebab shop and asking staff for help.
Alarmed customers and staff crowd around her in a bid to comfort her when a man enters the kebab shop.
The woman gestures that the man is her attacker and he brazenly walks up to her and pats her on the back.
A customer then confronts the man and he flees.
Police arrived minutes later, with the woman later telling officers the men were “of African appearance.”
She was taken to Bichat Hospital.
The owner of the shop told 7News that the woman could not stop crying and her dress was damaged.
Other reports said the woman was carrying her underwear in her hand and that she had had her phone stolen.
The woman, whose alleged attack comes days before the Olympic Games are due to start, was planning on traveling back to Australia but will now stay in Paris to help police with their investigation.
The Paris Prosecutor’s Office said an investigation into the incident was underway.
“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 second judicial police district,” prosecutor’s office said.
Police have launched a major operation following the incident.
A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told 7News that the Australian Embassy in Paris is “making urgent inquiries with French authorities following reports of an Australian citizen assaulted in Paris.”
“The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade stands ready to provide consular assistance,” it said.
The Alliance Paris police union said investigators will “do everything to quickly identify the individuals to justice,” according to Le Parisien.