A BRITISH family’s dream holiday turned into a nightmare after a 17-year-old girl was allegedly groped by a hotel security guard who also tried to kiss her 13-year-old cousin.
The teen was staying with her mum and nine relatives in when the middle-aged guard allegedly attacked the girls as they left the ladies’ toilet.
The family was staying at the Delphin Habib hotel in Monastir, Tunisia (pictured)
The family accused the hotel of delaying police contact and pressuring them to drop charges
He is said to have grabbed the 17-year-old by the neck and groped her, before trying to kiss her younger cousin at the Delphin Habib hotel in Monastir last week.
The terrified girls ran back to their family as the man reportedly fled the hotel.
The victim’s mum – a 44-year-old worker – accused the hotel for refusing to call the for more than an hour after she raised the alarm.
When officers finally arrived, the guard was arrested but the family claim they were pressured to forgive him and drop charges.
The mum told the Daily Mail : “It’s been absolutely awful, it’s traumatising.”
“I asked him why he did this to our children, and he just said ‘for fun’.
“Since we’ve been home, we’ve barely slept.
“My daughter has been taken to the doctors today because she can’t stop seeing his face. It’s broken us all, this will stay with her for life.”
The mum said she and the 13-year-old’s mother were taken to a local police station where they were reportedly shouted at in Arabic, denied contact with the British Embassy, and pushed to sign papers they couldn’t read.
She said the police were “horrendous” and “very scary”, adding they were allegedly told to drop the charges and forgive the suspect as his mum had died two months ago.
“We were treated like prisoners,” she said.
The family, who paid £5,500 for a seven-night stay booked via Loveholidays, said they cut their trip short after just two nights because they no longer felt safe.
They claimed a hotel rep offered them a spa voucher when they asked to leave early.
In the end, they spent £1,400 on new flights home, later reimbursed only after writing a statement saying the hotel had been “helpful”.
The mother was told the security guard had been fired, but she “doesn’t believe for one second they wouldn’t have him back”.
She added that they had been repeatedly asking Loveholidays for a refund, yet the company was still promoting the hotel as a family destination.
A Loveholidays spokesperson said: “We are very concerned about the serious incident reported by our customers during their recent holiday to Tunisia, and our thoughts are with them during this difficult time.
“We remain in touch with them and are continuing to offer them our support.
“The safety and wellbeing of our customers is always our absolute priority and a full is underway with the hotel involved.
“The hotel has confirmed that the individual involved has been taken into custody and will not be returning to the hotel.”
The Foreign Office told the Mail in a statement: “We are supporting a group of British nationals who were in Tunisia. Our staff stand ready to support British nationals 24/7.”
The Sun has also contacted Delphin Habib hotel for a comment and more information.
