Man arrested in Slovakia over Beeston bus stop rape incident
A man has been arrested in Slovakia in connection with the attempted murder and rape of a woman in Leeds in March.
Image: West Yorkshire Police.
The 21-year-old Slovakian national was arrested by local police in the Kosice area of eastern Slovakia today after West Yorkshire detectives investigating the attack on an 18-year-old woman in Beeston on 6 March this year secured a European Arrest Warrant.
The victim was dragged into a nearby garden and struck over the head numerous times with a large stone before being raped. She received serious head injuries and a fractured pelvis.
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The arrested man was identified as a suspect as a result of international enquiries by officers from West Yorkshire Police Homicide and Major Enquiry Team.
Detective Superintendent Nick Wallen, who is leading the investigation, said: “The European Arrest Warrant process requires that police forces are in a position to charge any suspect they are seeking.
“To that end we consulted the Crown Prosecution Service before applying to a district judge at Leeds Magistrates Court for the European Arrest Warrant.
“Once the warrant was granted, we liaised with the Slovakian police through the National Crime Agency to secure the arrest of this man. We are very grateful to the Slovakian authorities for their assistance.
“The man is currently in custody in Slovakia and we will now be pursuing the legal process with the aim of getting him extradited back to the United Kingdom to be charged to appear at court.”
