Jonas Junius, Namibian light welterweight boxer and the country’s flag bearer at Rio Olympic 2016, has been arrested for allegedly attempting to rape a housekeeper in the Olympic Village, The Independent reports.
According to police reports, the 22-year-old boxer grabbed a Brazilian housekeeper in the veranda and attempted to kiss her by force.
Junius was set to fight French boxer Hassan Amzile in the men’s light welter round of 32 on Thursday. However, he is still in police custody pending investigations.
Rio 2016 Communications Director Mario Andrada confirmed the arrest but declined to release further details of the incident, saying investigations are still ongoing, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
Second African Boxer Facing Sexual Assault Charges
The 22-year-old Namibian boxer is the second African boxer to be arrested for sexual assault at the ongoing Rio Olympic Games.
On Friday, 22-year-old Moroccan boxer Hassan Saada was also arrested for allegedly raping two Brazilian housekeepers at the Olympic Village on Wednesday. Saada was jailed for 15 days pending investigations.
According to the Brazilian law, any sexual act committed without permission is considered rape. Specifically, article 213 of the Brazilian Penal Code defines rape as “the act of intimidation through violence or threat of carnal knowledge or the practice of any lewd or obscene act or conduct towards the victim, carrying with it a penalty of 6 to 10 years imprisonment.”
Namibia’s Favorite
According to The Namibian, Jonas Junius was born and raised in Swakopmund, where he grew up playing street soccer with local kids. At the age of 10, he discovered boxing and was hooked immediately.
“I met a guy from another school who kept pigeons at home so I also became interested in that. But he was also into boxing and so I used to go along and watch him train at the gym and I just fell in love with the sport,” Jonas told The Namibian.
The boxer’s star began to shine in 2014 when he won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games at the tender age of 20, making him the fourth Namibian boxer to win a medal at the Commonwealth Games.
However, his dream to win gold at the Rio 2016 Olympic now looks gloomy as he battles to clear his name.
