I was raped by hotel worker: Aussie
An Australian tourist claims she was raped while staying at one of the world's top hotel chains by a staff member who allegedly broke into her room and attacked her in her bed.
The 27-year-old victim, from Sydney, was a guest at the five-star Ritz-Carlton hotel in Kuala Lumpur in October when, she said, she woke to find the man assaulting her about 5am.
The woman, who has asked not to be identified, had gone to Malaysia alone to visit friends and had been there for only a couple of days when the alleged attack happened.
The hotel employee, Roaquin Radzmund, is believed to have accessed the hotel's reception desk where he obtained a copy of the woman's electronic key card, which he allegedly used to enter her room.
The victim had failed to dead-bolt her door from the inside before going to bed and Mr Radzmund was arrested not long after the attack after security cameras showed him entering and leaving her room.
He appeared in a Kuala Lumpur court yesterday charged with rape - an offence that carries a jail term of up to 30 years in Malaysia, as well as corporal punishment by whipping.
No plea has been entered and he was remanded in custody to appear in court again next month.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed yesterday that the victim had sought consular help after the attack but it is understood she has received no offer of compensation from the hotel chain.
The Ritz-Carlton group is battling another sex assault allegation in the US relating to an incident involving a guest and a male employee working at a day spa.
DFAT's Smart Traveller website recommends female travellers always use hotel deadlocks while inside their rooms, even when travelling accompanied.
The Ritz-Carlton in Kuala Lumpur was contacted for comment yesterday but did not respond.
