Man arrested over sex assault case in Axarquia

The Guardia Civil has opened an investigation into the alleged sexual assault of a 37-year-old woman in broad daylight on Nerja’s Burriana Beach.

A 25-year-old man has been jailed in the wake of the allegations and could be handed a four to 10-year prison sentence, with the victim apparently under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the attack.

Concerned beachgoers raised the alarm after they spotted him having sex with a semi-conscious woman on a sun lounger.

Witnesses told police that she was trying to fight him off while a second man, aged 35, stood by and appeared to be “waiting for his turn.”

As police arrived at the scene the pair tried to escape in their car but it failed to start, leaving them with no option but to flee on foot.

Both were caught by fleetfooted officers within a few minutes and transferred to the local Guardia Civil station. Meanwhile, a Local Police patrol interviewed the victim, who claimed that she had entered the car in Granada but was unable to remember anything after that moment, with no recollection of the drive to Nerja.

Investigators are now making enquiries to determine whether she had been given the notorious date-rape drug scopolamine, better known as The Devil’s Breath, or burundanga in Spanish.

The drug originates from Colombia but a 36-year-old woman from Mallorca became the first person in Spain to test positive for it in September 2016.

Made from the seeds of the Brugmansia tree, scopolamine induces a zombie-like state in victims whereby they are conscious but unable to act with free will, while memories are blocked from forming until the effect wears off.

The accused is to remain in police custody without bail until the conclusion of the trial in Torrox, while his accomplice has been released but must make two court appearances per month while investigations remain open.