British soldier charged with rape of six-year-old girl in Austria

The paratrooper is charged with rape and grievous sexual abuse of a minor

Austrian alps (REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger)

A British soldier has been charged for allegedly breaking into a local family’s home and sexually abusing their six-year-old daughter, Austrian prosecutors have said.

The soldier, who was taking part in mountain military exercises in the Alps, was tackled by the girl's father in the house in Neustift im Stubaital during the alleged incident late last year, and has been held in Austrian custody since.

The paratrooper, 30, who has not been named, is charged with rape and grievous sexual abuse of a minor.

"The trial will start on March 10," said Hansjoerg Mayr, public prosecutor in the western Austrian state of Tyrol.

The defendant faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.