Suspect in Rotterdam rape also suspected of assaulting another woman

An 18-year-old man suspected of violently raping an Indonesian student in Rotterdam in July, is also suspected of assaulting another woman that same day. According to the Public Prosecutor, Gerson F. grabbed the as-yet-unidentified victim from behind, put a hand over her mouth and groped her buttocks, RTL Nieuws reports.

Whether the violent rape or the sexual assault happened first, is not yet clear. F. is also suspected of committing multiple thefts in the weeks before the rape and assault.

The Indonesian student was attacked early on Saturday morning, July 21st, on Herman Bavinckstraat - a residential area in Rotterdam's Kralingen district. She was brutally raped and then strangled. She barely survived. The rape caused a great deal of unrest in the neighborhood.

The Public Prosecutor is charging F. with attempted murder, rape, assault, two counts of theft and embezzlement.