A diplomat at the Senegalese Embassy in The Gambia has been arrested for allegedly raping a “mentally-challenged” 17-year-old girl, reports the Standard newspaper.

The suspect, who lives in the same compound with the girl, was arrested after the girl’s parents registered a complaint with the police. 

The diplomat, 41, is accused of grooming the girl after giving her D20 and allegedly raping her on three occasions. 

“Because she is not mentally sound, this man would give her nothing more than D20 for all the encounters. I believe it was three times, but my daughter never consented to his advances,” the girl’s mother told the Standard newspaper. 

The mother added: “My daughter said it all started one day when she went to fetch water at the common standpipe in the compound. 

“The man told her to go sleep with him. The man fooled her. The first time was in December and he forced her. At first she was scared to tell me but after I threatened her, she disclosed everything.

“He forced my only daughter into these things. I want justice to be served. I want the authorities to investigate this matter and hold this man responsible.”

Police confirmed that the accused was arrested but has been released pending further inquiries with the Senegalese authorities in line with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. 

Under the 1961 Vienna Convention, designed to allow officials to represent national interests overseas, diplomats are not “liable to any form of arrest or detention”.

However the unnamed diplomat can be prosecuted if the Senegalese government waived his diplomatic immunity.