Man charged with sex assault on student

A MAN has been arrested and charged in connection with an alleged serious sexual assault on an American student just off the Royal Mile.

The 23-year-old man is set to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court tomorrow to face the charge.

The 22-year-old victim had been out with friends when she was allegedly assaulted on her way home on just her second night in the Capital.

The incident took place between 4am and 4.20am last Monday in Barries Close – a narrow staircase that leads up from Old Fishmarket Close to Parliament Square on the Royal Mile.

She was visiting the city as part of a student group from a university on the US's East Coast. Their visit was part of a one-week stay in Edinburgh and three-week stay in London.