11-year-old Autistic boy 'sexually assaulted' at a hotel in Costa Adeje

According to reports, an 11-year-old autistic boy has been sexually assaulted at a resort in the south of Tenerife, before his family chased the suspect out of the hotel when they saw the vile attack, which allegedly happened “in the blink of an eye”.

The child, said to be from Ireland, was playing with other kids at the hotel in the popular resort of Costa Adeje, when he was allegedly targeted. During the attack, the man is said to have put his hands down the boy's trousers and unlawfully touched his genital area.

The shocking incident was caught on CCTV and happened in full view of the child's family, with a relative reportedly chasing the man away, who is said to have been seen loitering around the hotel for several days beforehand.

The National Police have now arrested the man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and have taken him into custody where he is facing legal proceedings in the Los Cristianos Courts over the incident.

A source told DublinLive: 'The family are shocked and appalled at what has happened. What was a lovely family holiday quickly turned into a holiday from hell. They are horrified the attack took place right in front of their eyes. One of the family members chased the man from the hotel.

“The last couple of days of their holiday was spent between the police station and the courthouse. They want to warn other families holidaying in Tenerife to keep an eye on their children at all times because this happened in the blink of an eye.”