UK Edition
Bus stop rape link to Cromer disorder investigated
The rape of a teenager in Cromer may have been linked to the disorder that caused the seaside town to go into “lockdown” over the weekend, Norfolk police said.
A man in his 30s has been arrested on suspicion of the attack at a bus stop late on Friday night.
The incident coincided with a spate of thefts and anti-social behaviour after around 30 motorhomes pulled up at a car park on the resort’s seafront on Friday.
The disorder prompted local establishments to close on Saturday night, with some vowing to stay closed throughout the weekend.
Norfolk Police said enquiries were ongoing into the circumstances surrounding the rape but that as a result of new evidence, officers were exploring the possibility of links with the subsequent trouble.
Police previously said they were not linking the rape and the later disorder in the town.
Nick Dean, Norfolk Police Deputy Chief Constable, said officers were treating the weekend's disorder "seriously".
However, he added that it would be "totally disproportionate" to blame the whole travelling community.
North Norfolk District Council on Sunday described the scene in the car park as an "illegal encampment" and confirmed it had "served notice on the travellers to leave," which most had by Sunday afternoon.
Norfolk Constabulary said it had stepped up patrols in response to what it branded "anti-social behaviour and low-level disorder".
Norman Lamb, the MP for North Norfolk, described "utterly intolerable" scenes, which included an incident at an Indian restaurant in which staff were allegedly physically threatened when they informed a group of around 30 that they would need to buy a meal with their drinks.