Four teenagers charged with rape

Four teenagers have been charged with rape following an investigation into a "serious incident" in Weston-super-Mare.

Detectives from a specialist serious sexual offences investigation team co-ordinated the arrests after receiving a report about a woman being threatened and raped at a property on 21 June, Avon and Somerset Police said.

Tommy Campbell, 19, from Weston-super-Mare, has been charged with six counts of rape, one count of sexual assault, one count of false imprisonment, and one count of assault causing actual bodily harm.

Rio Welling, 18, also from Weston-super-Mare, has been charged with two counts of rape, and one count of false imprisonment.

A 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named because of his age, has been charged with three counts of rape, one count of false imprisonment, and one count of assault causing actual bodily harm.

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A second 17-year-old boy, who also cannot be named because of his age, has been charged with one count of rape, and one count of assault causing actual bodily harm.

They were all remanded in custody to appear at Taunton Magistrates' Court later today.

Detective Inspector Natalie Thatcher said: "Our investigation into this incredibly serious incident has been taking place over the past few weeks, and the charges authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service are a significant milestone.

"The victim has been updated by specially trained officers, who will continue to provide her with as much support as she needs.

"We are aware the co-ordinated pre-planned arrest attempts across Weston and Worle on Thursday did cause some local concern, which is why we wanted to be transparent around why they were necessary.

"We would like to thank people for their patience while those enquiries were carried out."

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