'Monster' who 'raped own daughter in street in front of her 8-year-old brother' arrested

Police in Spain have arrested a 'monster' accused of raping his own daughter in the street in front of her eight-year-old brother. The man, aged 40, is reported to have been caught red-handed by officers passing the spot where the alleged sex attack took place.

The arrest happened around 3 am on Sunday outside of La Llotja, a theatre and congress centre in the Catalan city of Lleida. Police discovered the man and woman were father and daughter after asking for identification, it is reported.

The alleged rape victim was taken to Arnau de Vilanova University in Lleida, just under a two-hour drive west of Barcelona, after saying she had been forced to have sex.

Respected regional newspaper Segre reports that her eight-year-old brother was with them and was driven away and handed over to his mother.

Local police employed by Lleida City Hall have drafted a report for the Catalan region's Mossos d'Esquadra force, which is now continuing to investigate to see whether the man held could have abused his daughter on other occasions.

There has not yet been any official comment from either police force, but sources close to the case have confirmed the arrest.

The suspect, who has not been named, was due to go in front of a judge today in a hearing to decide whether he should be released on bail pending an ongoing criminal probe or released on bail.

It will be held behind closed doors as is normal in Spain, where only trials take place in public.

The nationalities of those involved have not been made public.