This is the horrific moment an Irish holidaymaker is punched repeatedly in the face by another tourist and stamped on the head while he lay motionless on steps outside his Spanish hotel complex.
Police in Gran Canaria confirmed overnight they are investigating four Irish men aged 21 to 42 over the sickening assault as it emerged the 49-year-old victim had allegedly tried to force a kiss on a female relative who was with them moments before he was attacked.
The footage showed him being pummelled repeatedly around the face before another man who went to his aid was attacked. A second aggressor then punched the first victim several times in the face again before returning seconds later and stamping on his head, even though he appeared to be unconscious at the time and was offering no resistance.
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Detectives investigating the incident in the resort of Puerto Rico near Mogan in the south of Gran Canaria released footage of the horror incident overnight as they confirmed five Irish nationals were under investigation including the victim of the attack. It happened in the early hours of September 20.
The spokesman said that there were five people under investigation including a man aged 49 accused of a crime of sexual assault for allegedly trying to forcibly kiss a woman without her consent and four men aged 21 to 42 "as the alleged authors of a crime of serious wounding".
The force spokesman added: “The investigation began on September 20 when an emergency call was received about a man who was unconscious on steps leading to a tourist apartment complex in Puerto Rico. That person was taken to a hospital in the capital Las Palmas.
“That same night a female Irish tourist reported a man to police, saying she had been heading back to her hotel accommodation with relatives when they bumped into two other tourists of the same nationality in a chance meeting which ended with one of the two men trying to forcibly kiss her against her will.”
Detectives said there had been an initial confrontation between the two groups of tourists before the more serious incident a few minutes later during a second meeting when they encountered each other because they all happened to be staying at the same tourist complex.
The man who allegedly caused the first confrontation is said to have tried to kiss the woman again a second time round at that point, sparking the vicious assault that was captured on CCTV cameras.
Local reports said the assault victim needed stitches but it has not been made clear if he remains in hospital. The Civil Guard is understood to have submitted a report on the incident to a court in the town of San Bartolome de Tirajana near Puerto Rico.
Normal procedure would involve an investigating judge summoning the men to court for questioning as suspects and the unnamed woman as a witness. It was not immediately clear this morning if they have already been quizzed and whether they are still on Gran Canaria.
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