BRAZIL: Brazilian police begin investigating an alleged rape which is said to have taken place on the popular reality TV show Big Brother Brazil

Record ID: 860258

  • Title: BRAZIL: Brazilian police begin investigating an alleged rape which is said to have taken place on the popular reality TV show Big Brother Brazil
  • Date: 18th January 2012
  • Summary: RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL (JANUARY 17, 2012) (REUTERS) COVER OF "EXTRA" NEWSPAPER READING: "UNDER SUSPICION FOR SEXUAL ABUSE, DANIEL IS KICKED OUT OF BIG BROTHER" COVER OF "MEIA-HORA" NEWSPAPER READING: "SEE DANIEL, DRUNK PEOPLE ARE ALSO WATCHED" COVER OF "O DIA" NEWSPAPER READING: "POLICE INVESTIGATES IF THERE WAS RAPE IN THE BIG BROTHER HOUSE"
  • Embargoed: 2nd February 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Brazil, Brazil
  • City:
  • Country: Brazil
  • Topics: Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVA3QSAY5JV5RH2VLCTTGXWW2G92
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: A participant in the Brazilian version of Big Brother is being investigated for suspected rape of a fellow housemate while she was apparently asleep on the reality show.
    Police on Tuesday questioned male model Daniel Echaniz, 30, who was shown in live images in bed with 23-year-old Monique Amin apparently having sex under the covers, though she was hardly moving.
    Television network Rede Globo expelled Echaniz from the program on Monday (January 16) after a seven-minute video of the bed scene was posted on Internet and police were called in to investigate.
    Echaniz's mother, Aparecida, said the case was pure sensationalism.
    "This is a senseless sensationalism," she said.
    Amin denied the rape to the show's producers and said she did not recall any events after she laid down next to Echaniz on Saturday night.
    Police went to the set of the reality show to collect possible evidence including bed sheets, said Chief Antonio Ricardo Nunces.
    "We collected the underwear used by both of them and the sheets were also collected and sent to the police in order to identify if there is any trace of sperm and I will analyse the video and compare it to their testimonies," he said.
    The incident made the front page of several Brazilian newspapers on Tuesday after the police announced it would investigate the case.
    Christiane Monnerat, the attorney responsible for the case, said Echaniz could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison for sexual abuse if convicted.
    "At that time, because she was vulnerable, in a state of total incapability of offering any resistance and understanding what was happening, in this case the sentence is of 8 to 15 years of prison," she said.
    Big Brother is a television show in which a group of people live together in a large house, isolated from the outside world but are continuously watched by television cameras. Housemates try to win by avoiding periodic evictions from the house.
    It was not clear from the images taken with a night camera whether Amin was asleep or not. Brazilian media reported she had passed out from drinking alcohol at a party before going to bed.
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