German police accused of 'cover-up' over alleged sex attack by migrant on teen girl
POLICE in Germany have been accused of covering up an alleged sex attack by an African migrant on a 13-year-old girl.
Police in Chemitz have ben accused of 'covering up' an alleged migrant sex attack
Officers in Chemnitz, Saxony, withheld details of the abuse for several weeks, instead sending out press releases on minor issues including one appeal from a man who had forgotten where he parked his car.
The alleged attack only came to light when a man who knew about the incident informed a local newspaper.
Although police have since confirmed a complaint of sexual abuse was received, no further details have yet been released to the public.
Police spokesman Rafael Scholz confirmed the it was investigating the alleged attack.
He said: "Our media information regularly contains only a portion of current police-related matters.
"In this specific case it was apparent that investigations were still pending."
According to local media, which quoted the victim, a Northern African male aged between 25 and 30 approached her while she was waiting with her friend at a bus stop in the small town of Thum, close to Chemnitz.
The migrant allegedly touched her sexually, before fleeing.
Although her mother made a complaint to police on the same day, given a description of the suspect, the police have still not informed the public.
Police have instead released appeals over a lost car and a traffic accident
Our media information regularly contains only a portion of current police-related matters.
The force's latest press release gives details of a minor car accident.
Residents in Thum said they "worried" the suspect might still be at large and could not understand why the police have not released details.
Saleswoman Doreen Oelmann, 35, said: "After so many weeks no one can remember anything.
"This must be known immediately. Now I am even more worried when my daughter is walking alone through the town."
The accusations come at a time when many are still outraged by the Cologne sex attacks
The controversy comes after German authorities deliberately withheld the nationalities of the Cologne sex attackers for several days.
The attacks, on more than a thousand women, were carried out by gangs of migrant men on New Year's Eve.
It came months after Angela Merkel's government welcomed more than a million migrants into the country - and the sex attacks sparked a backlash against the Chancellor's open door immigration policy.
The German leader this month admitted regrets over her migrant policy after humiliating defeats in local elections.