Send Us Cash Or We'll Rape Her Again

KOMPAS.com, 14 January 2011 - A British woman described how she was gang raped for two hours in a Thailand hotel by men who then phoned her mother to demand money.

The 23-year-old claims she was assaulted by a group of Swedes and Thais in a room near Patong Beach, in Phuket, after agreeing to go back for a party.

In a sickening phone call, her attackers told her mother back in Britain that they would rape her again unless they received money. A friend described how the men placed a hood over her head and then laughed as they phoned her mother.

'She had gone back to the room with a Swede,' she added. 'But inside there were five others, including three Thais.

'She was raped and then one of them demanded her mother's phone number. There was laughter as one of the gang members told her mother that unless she sent money, her daughter would be raped again.

'Afterwards she went to find the Embassy official. I don't think she could even remember her attackers and I guess she was drunk.'

The woman had overstayed her visa and was working illegally, which both carry jail terms. She had got a job on the island after answering an advertisement for 'Time-Share' sales staff but quickly became penniless after earning little commission.

It is understood that Embassy officials arranged for her medical examination, but afterwards decided it would be hopeless to attempt a prosecution. She has now left the country.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: 'We can confirm we gave consular assistance in this case.'

In the case of sex attacks on Britons abroad the FCO is able to offer much more help than in other distress cases. They will accompany victims to police, arrange medical treatment and examinations, and can even arrange instant loans for flights, and deal with immigration issues.