Man accused of assaulting woman in the woods re-arrested

A man accused of forcibly taking a woman into the woods and sexually assaulting her has been re-arrested by the police, after the High Court ordered his release on Thursday over his lengthy detention.

The incident took place on the night of February 4, in an island south of Male’. The suspect is accused of forcing a local woman onto his motorcycle, taking her to a secluded wooded area, and sexually assaulting her.

He was arrested the next day.

During his initial remand hearing on February 6, the court determined that there was sufficient evidence to support the allegations, and remanded the suspect in custody of the police for 30 days.

The suspect, who has no prior criminal record, appealed the remand order with the High Court, citing that as per the Criminal Procedure Act, a suspect cannot be remanded for more than 15 days at a time.

The Prosecutor General’s Office agreed with the argument, and requested the High Court to overturn the original remand order.

A police spokesperson told Sun on Sunday that the suspect was released and swiftly rearrested on Thursday. He was remanded in custody of the police for 15 days the next day.

The police have not disclosed any further details regarding the case.