Barman accused of raping British tourist in Italian nightclub toilet is arrested in Naples after 'his DNA is found on her dress'

A barman accused of raping a British tourist has been arrested by police in Italy after traces of his DNA were found on her clothing - eight months after she reported she had been attacked in a Naples nightclub.

The suspect reportedly served the young woman drinks and chatted with her as she drank in the bar with a friend in July last year.

When she went to the toilet he followed her and brutally attacked her, according to local media reports.

She told police: 'Suddenly he was on top of me and I saw his trousers down. There wasn't my consent at all. I didn't give my consent.'

After the attack, the traumatised holidaymaker, who is believed to be in her early 20s, went to hospital and reported the incident to police, who launched an investigation.

A barman accused of raping a British tourist has been arrested by police in Italy eight months after she reported she had been attacked in a Naples nightclub (file image)

Two French tourists are believed to have helped the woman and her friend in the aftermath of the alleged attack, giving them the police's contact information. 

Although the woman returned to England, she cooperated with Italian authorities by providing DNA evidence and continued to help police track down her attacker.

She returned to Italy in December and provided prosecutor Mariangela Magariello and deputy prosecutor Raffaello Falcone with further statements and identification.

After reviewing the evidence, which also included video footage, police arrested the barman yesterday. 

Naples judge Carla Sarno ordered him to be held under house arrest after prosecutors and the victim's lawyer Lucilla Longone said there were fears he could try to flee.

Italian media reports that the suspect is 27 and was the owner of the bar, which is in the historic Decumani area of the city.

According to the victim's testimony, he had seen the two British women go past and invited them into his bar for a drink, Corriere della Sera reports.

Police continue to investigate CCTV footage and interview witnesses. 

This case is part of the broader efforts by the Naples Prosecutor's Office, specifically the section dealing with gender violence. 

The alarming statistics reveal over 5,000 cases of violence against women in Naples annually, highlighting the urgency for swift and effective responses under the 'red code' regulations, according to Il Mattino.

The case comes amid intense scrutiny on gender-based violence in Naples (file image)

These regulations, passed in 2019, mandate a prompt and thorough investigation following a complaint involving serious offences like sexual violence or domestic abuse. 

The case comes amid intense scrutiny on gender-based violence in Naples after two young girls - cousins aged 11 and 12 - suffered a horrific gang rape by a group of teenagers at an abandoned sports complex last year.

That incident was headline news in Italy, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni paying a visit to the scene of the crime and meeting with local officials to organise a 10 million euro grant to revitalise the complex and the rundown suburban neighbourhood.

Meloni decried the alleged rapes as 'an inhuman act, an infamous crime that has really shocked everyone', adding that there 'are more stories like this than those that surface in the news'.