Eindhoven man arrested for raping teen girl, young woman

A 25-year-old man from Eindhoven was arrested on suspicion of raping a 23-year-old French woman in Eindhoven and a 15-year-old girl in Valkenswaard over the past week. He is also suspected of attempting to rape a third victim, who managed to get away from him, the police said in a statement.

The French woman reported to the police last week Wednesday. She told them that she was approached by a man on a scooter on Hertogstraat in Eindhoven early that morning. He offered to give her a lift to her hotel. But once on the scooter, the man drover her towards Gennepper Parken. At Tongelreeppad, the man pulled her into the bushes and raped her, she said. According to the police, the victim has multiple bruises all over her body.

On Sunday, a 15-year-old girl reported being raped in Valkenswaard. At around 6:30 a.m. that morning, a young man threatened and assaulted her until she got onto his scooter. He took her to a wooded area on Eindhovenseweg, where he violently raped her. The girl sustained multiple injuries, including to her face.

Earlier on Sunday, another 23-year-old woman was approached by a strange man on a scooter on Vestdijk in Eindhoven. The woman managed to cycle away and get inside her home.

According to the police, all three victims gave a similar description of the man who approached them, and the way in which he did so. Investigation led the police to the 25-year-old man from Eindhoven. He was arrested at his home shortly after midnight on Monday. He is in custody for further investigation.

The police deliberately did not publish any reports about the rapes before the arrests, a police spokesperson told Omroep Brabant. "We were very hesitant about doing this", the spokesperson said. "We had a lot of clues and did not want to run the risk of him destroying evidence if we were to bring the rapes out sooner."

The police believe the man may have harassed more women. Investigators therefore call on any woman who was approached by a dark skinned man who tried to convince them to get onto his gray Vespa scooter, to contact them at once. 

The investigators also want to make contact with a number of specific witnesses. At the time when the 15-year-old girl was being raped, a cyclist came by and spoke to them, the police said. Two women also drove past in a car and said something. The police call on these witnesses to come forward.