Tourist "held as sex slave" for seven weeks in city hotel room
A female tourist from Europe says she was held and used as a sex slave in a seven-week ordeal in a Melbourne hotel room, Australian police have alleged.
The woman, aged just 21, was visiting Australia on holiday when she met her alleged abusers, Alfio Granata and his girlfriend Jennifer Peaston, at a party.
The details of her ordeal, which include numerous alleged rapes, have been revealed in a police record of an interview, seen exclusively by theSunday Herald Sun.
The woman escaped when she stabbed Granata, 44, as he slept, it will be alleged.
Granata has been charged with more than 100 offences, including rape and assault with a knife, abduction and theft.
In his defence, Mr Granata claims the woman was a consenting participant in threesomes with Peaston, 32.
He claims there were occasions when the alleged victim left the hotel room to visit a supermarket, and attend work at a city restaurant, says the Herald Sun.
The crimes allegedly happened at the Rydges Bell City Hotel Complex on one of Melbourne's busiest streets.
The woman has since returned to Europe but is expected to give evidence at a future trial.
In the interview, Mr Granata tells police he set up the camera - which captured hours of graphic, violent sex scenes - to record what was going on.
"I had set up cameras because I had become very, well, paranoid that things were going on and they were lying to me," he told the news service.
He claimed he used the footage to find out who had stabbed him.
The alleged victim has accused the pair of repeated rapes over the seven-week period and told police she was held against her will. Mr Granata and Ms Peaston are in custody to appear again next month.
Last year, a study found that up to 2000 women were trafficked into Australia every year and forced to work as sex slaves.
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