Australian Open organisers on Friday defended keeping quiet about the sexual assault of a five-year-old boy in a toilet this week, saying they did so at the request of police.
The young boy was sexually assaulted at the Rod Laver Arena on Monday.
His mother took him to a men’s toilet block then waited for him outside but became concerned when he failed to emerge and asked a guard to go in and find him, police said.
The boy came out of a toilet cubicle distressed and said he had been attacked by a stranger.
Police said they were examining hours of security video footage taken at the tournament’s opening day, which was also marred by violence among rival Serb and Croat fans.
The incident only came to light when an anonymous e-mail was sent to the media.
Tennis Australia chief executive Steve Wood said he kept silent because the police requested it.
”I just wanted to follow the way in which the police asked me to operate, I didn’t want to jeopardise in any way the investigation that is ongoing here,” he was quoted as saying by local media.
”They requested as part of their ongoing investigation that details of this incident were not made public and we have fully cooperated with them in an effort to bring this case to a conclusion.”
A Victoria state police spokesperson described the incident as ”completely isolated”.
Wood said Tennis Australia stepped up security at the centre as soon as it was informed of the assault.
”As a parent I was deeply shocked by this incident and want to reassure you that everything that can be done is being done to work on this issue,” he said.
”We’ve stepped up our security and we’re working with the venue managers, Melbourne Olympic Parks Trust, to be extra vigilant in our security.”
In a separate incident, police arrested a 32-year-old man who was allegedly seen trying to film up women’s skirts at the Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday.
”The man was brought to police’s attention by two women who said he was trying to film up their skirts with a hand-held digital camera,” police spokesperson Marika Fengler said.
He is expected to be charged with offensive behaviour and using surveillance equipment.
It has been a challenging week for the Australian Open organisers, with a violent brawl, also on Monday, between Croatian and Serbian fans, and problems with extreme heat. — AFP
