Man, 44, arrested after boy, 8, ‘sexually assaulted’ in tent camping with his family near Loch Ness

A 44-year-old man has been arrested after an eight-year-old boy was allegedly sexually assaulted in his tent on the banks of the Loch Ness.

The boy was camping in his own tent at Loch Ness Bay Campsite, in Drumnadrochit, Scotland while his parents were in a separate tent next to him, police said.

Sometime between 12.20am and 1am on Thursday, July 31 a man allegedly burst into the tent and sexually assaulted the boy.

Police said the parents became suspicious when one of them came out of their tent and spotted a man leaving the area.

Announcing the arrest after a huge manhunt, Detective Superintendent Calum Smith said: ‘We would like to thank the local community for their support during our investigation, in particular local businesses and those who came forward with information.’

Extensive enquiries are ongoing, and specialist officers are supporting the boy and his family.

At a media briefing in Inverness, Detective Superintendent Calum Smith from Police Scotland said that a man was apparently seen leaving the area by one of the parents who had come out from where they were sleeping.

‘I’m not going to go into details of the assault but it was a sexual assault on an eight-year-old child, hugely traumatising on the child, hugely traumatising on the family and naturally worrying to the community,’ he said.

‘This is very unusual for this to happen in the Highlands.’

Local councillor David Fraser told BBC Scotland News the attack was ‘totally shocking” and had “affected the whole community”.

He said: ‘Drumnadrochit is a small highland community on the banks of Loch Ness and things like this don’t usually happen here.

‘Words cannot describe the impact this event will have had.’