Schoolgirl drops ski trip rape claim

A 15-year-old girl who claimed she was raped during a school skiing holiday in Austria dropped the allegation today, the school said.

The teenager alleged she was attacked in the toilets of a bar while out with friends on the last night of a half-term trip to the resort of Kitzbuhel.

Police in Austria quizzed a 16-year-old Brazilian boy with German residency following the alleged incident last Thursday.

The boy claimed the girl had agreed to sex and today the girl withdrew her complaint.

The headmistress of the school in the Greater Manchester area said: "At the time of the alleged incident the girl was very confused, as a result of drinking.

"She now realises that there was no rape or violent assault and wishes the allegation to be removed from the Austrian Police files.

"She would now like the matter to be dropped and for her, her family and friends to be able to get on with their lives.

"She apologises for the inconvenience which has been caused."

The girl had been one of 77 youngsters aged 15 to 18 on the holiday. They were supervised by nine staff.

A spokesman at police headquarters in Innsbruck, Austria, said: "On February 19 there was a 15-year-old girl in a pub in Kitzbuhel.

"There she met a Brazilian schoolboy, who was 16-years-old, in the ladies' toilets.

"When the Brazilian schoolboy left the toilets the girl said she was raped, but this was not correct."

He added: "There will be no prosecution."