Teenager raped in nightclub

The rape happened at a club in Leicester Square

A 16-year-old girl has been brutally attacked and raped inside a central London nightclub.

The teenager had gone to the Equinox club in Leicester Square with a group of friends on Saturday night.

She had been there for four hours when a man she had met took her to an area of the club that was not being used and attacked her.

The rapist, who is thought to be of mixed race and in his 20s, left the club immediately afterwards and the victim found her friends who were looking for her.

An ambulance took the girl to hospital where she was detained for 48 hours to be treated for her injuries.

Detective Inspector Martin Johnson of Operation Sapphire, Scotland Yard's unit which deals with victims of sex attacks, said: "This has been a very traumatic time for this young girl who has also received some nasty injuries.

"We are appealing to anyone in the Equinox nightclub who saw anything."