British holidaymaker, 33, raped on board a cruise ship by an entertainer who worked on a ship while it was at sea

Police in Mallorca have arrested a cruise ship entertainer after he allegedly raped a British holidaymaker on board.

The man, 37, was held in a cabin until the store docked in Palma and police led him away.

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His alleged victim, 27, said she was raped on the high seas.

The man, from Kenya, was released on bail yesterday after an appearance in court.

He was arrested Friday morning from the ship he apparently worked on as an entertainer.

Photos show officers and police cars waiting at the dock to make the arrest.

A spokesperson for Mallorca’s Guardia Civil today confirmed that a man had been arrested following allegations of rape.

The spokesperson said: “Yesterday a Kenyan was arrested and handed over to court for further questioning.

“I can’t say anything more at this stage.”

Local reports said the detained man refused to answer questions from a judge who tried to question him.

And sources said the British woman left the ship so she could seek medical treatment at a hospital.

Police reportedly took her formal statement after she left.

It was not immediately clear today whether he was allowed to leave Mallorca or had to surrender his passport.

Police are examining his cell phone pending an ongoing investigation.

The ship they were on is called MSC Fantasia.

It docked in Mallorca from Naples, Italy.

An MSC Cruises spokesperson said this afternoon: “We are aware of the incident reported on board MSC Fantasia.

“This has been reported to the appropriate law enforcement authorities and we are assisting with their investigation.

“The safety of our passengers is our first priority. We have an uncompromising code of conduct and will not tolerate any behavior that puts our passengers at risk.

“As a criminal investigation is ongoing, we cannot comment further.”

In April 2019, a court in Valencia released an 18-year-old Italian suspected of raping a British 17-year-old on another cruise ship after it left Palma.

The teenager was released after the judge who was supposed to question him concluded that he had no authority to start a criminal investigation under Spanish law.

Regional Spanish newspaper Levante EMV reported at the time that the British teenager, who was traveling with her parents, told police her sex attacker forced her into his cabin before raping her.

The fact that they traveled in international waters on a Panamanian-flagged cruise ship meant that the court felt without jurisdiction.

An official said: “The procedure is for the court to inform the embassies of those three countries so that they can decide whether they have jurisdiction to prosecute and ask for the evidence.

“What they do or don’t do next will depend on officials from those three countries and it is not something the judge has a decision on.

“There is no investigation into the Italian man in Spain, because there is no case against him here.”

This 2019 case also occurred on an MSC cruise ship, the Divina.