LONDON (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — The organizer of Latitude said he was "distraught" after learning there had been two separate allegations of sexual assault at the Suffolk festival this weekend according London's The Guardian.
Melvin Benn spoke to reporters on the final day of the festival, July 18, in response to the alleged rape of a 19-year-old girl on Thursday and a second incident, in which a 17-year-old girl said she had been raped during the weekend.
"People are obviously entitled to be nervous. But these things, as awful as they are, are outside anyone's control," said Benn according to The Guardian. "Whether it's at a festival or in a village or high street, there are people around who – either determinedly or opportunistically – will do such a thing."
"This is a friendly and supportive festival, probably safer than an awful lot of city centres on a Friday or Saturday night," the Latitude organiser added according to The Guardian.
Reports of the first alleged sexual assault emerged on Thursday after a 19-year-old girl claimed she had been attacked while trying to make her way to the toilets.
In a statement regarding the assault, Suffolk police said: "She lost her bearings and spotted a group of around three or four males – including one with short dark curly hair – who she approached to ask for directions. The males said they would show her the way and they walked for some distance before the 19-year-old was grabbed by the males and raped, possibly against a tree. The males then ran off, leaving the victim to make her way back to her tent where she reported the incident to friends," according to The Guardian.
Police are searching for information from anyone who may have seen the incident.
A 17-year-old girl came forward on Saturday to say she had been raped in a tent on the campsite on Friday night. A 19-year-old male was held on Saturday night in relation to the incident and bailed to return to police in Lowestoft in September according to The Guardian.
Police said there did not appear to be a link between the two assaults.
–by CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
