Indonesian man held over attempted rape of 9-year-old Australian girl

An Indonesian man on the island of Bali has been arrested for allegedly trying to rape a sleeping 9-year-old Australian girl, news media reported.

The man, 33, a worker at the villa, crept into the vacation villa the girl's family was renting in the resort town of Kuta and carried her outside, Agence France-Presse cited police as saying.

"There was an attempt to rape the girl, but it failed because she woke up and began to scream," police detective chief Wayan Arta Ariawan told AFP.

“He molested her but failed to rape her," Bandung police chief Benny Arjanto reportedly added.

The man has been charged with attempted rape and faces up to 15 years in jail if convicted, Sky News reported.

The Australian Associated Press, meantime, cited Australia's Foreign Affairs department as confirming the incident occurred and saying: "Australian consular officials are providing assistance to the girl's family."

Australia's ABC News, meantime, wrote that the suspect — a driver — had returned back to the villa intoxicated after watching a soccer match on the night of the alleged attack, the ABC reported.

Deputy Commissioner Putra told the ABC that the nine-year-old initially thought it was her father carrying her from the villa.

It was only when the man allegedly began taking off her pants and molesting her that she began to scream.

The girl's screams alerted people nearby, the Seven Network reported.

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