Police said the alleged victim had been reported missing since 28 February. Police received a tip off on Sunday that the twelve-year-old was in a caravan in Melbtal. A short time later, a patrol car crew found the girl, who is from North-Rhine Westphalia, as well as the 54-year-old man using the caravan and his 50-year-old girlfriend. Piontek said the officers immediately came across evidence at the scene that the twelve-year-old could have been the victim of a sexual offence. After an initial interview, the girl was placed in the care of employees of the Bonn Youth Welfare Office. The police detained the two suspects and took them to police headquarters.

Officers from police inspectorate 12, which is responsible for sexual offences, and specialists from the police records department immediately took over the investigations and the securing of evidence at the scene, in cooperation with the public prosecutors’ office. To preserve evidence, the caravan was seized, together with another caravan on the same site.

During the investigations, suspicion against the 54-year-old increased. At the request of the public prosecutors’ office, he will be brought before a magistrate on Monday on suspicion of serious sexual abuse. The 50-year-old woman was released. The investigations continue.

(Original text: Andreas Baumann. Translation: kc)