GETTY A pensioner was allegedly raped by an Eritrean refugee

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The man, originally from Eritrea, was charged with rape and placed into custody while police investigate the case. A witness heard the woman crying out for help and called the police.

The victim, who lives in a nursing home, had to receive medical treatment following the attack and was released from hospital on Tuesday. The abused pensioner was visiting the cemetery to visit her sister’s grave in the town of Iddenbueren when the reported attack happened. The alleged rapist arrived in Germany in 2013 and was living just 15 minutes away from the scene of the attack in the nearby refugee shelter in Horstel.

Migrant crisis explained in numbers Fri, July 22, 2016 A monthly record of 218,394 migrants and refugees reached Europe by sea in October, the UN says, almost as many as the total number of arrivals in 2014. We take a look at the shocking statistics facing the humanitarian crisis. Play slideshow AFP/Getty Images 1 of 47 137 migrants of African origins were rescued by coast guard boats off the coast of Libya

If found guilty, he could face a total of 15 years behind bars. The alleged attack follows a spate of sexual offences committed by migrants across Europe. New Years Eve celebrations in Cologne were marred when as many as 1,000 women were sexually assaulted and robbed by men of North African and Arabic origin.

In February, the chief of police for Colognge admitted most of the attackers may never be caught. Mr Juergen Mathies said: "The CCTV footage is not good enough to clearly identify sexual assaults. We can see some thefts but that's all. "We are relying on witness accounts and victims identifying their attackers."

The man, originally from Eritrea, was charged with rape and placed into custody while police investigate the case. A witness heard the woman crying out for help and called the police.

The victim, who lives in a nursing home, had to receive medical treatment following the attack and was released from hospital on Tuesday. The abused pensioner was visiting the cemetery to visit her sister’s grave in the town of Iddenbueren when the reported attack happened. The alleged rapist arrived in Germany in 2013 and was living just 15 minutes away from the scene of the attack in the nearby refugee shelter in Horstel.

Migrant crisis explained in numbers Fri, July 22, 2016 A monthly record of 218,394 migrants and refugees reached Europe by sea in October, the UN says, almost as many as the total number of arrivals in 2014. We take a look at the shocking statistics facing the humanitarian crisis. Play slideshow AFP/Getty Images 1 of 47 137 migrants of African origins were rescued by coast guard boats off the coast of Libya

GETTY Juergen Mathies admitted the police may never bring the Cologne attackers to justice

If found guilty, he could face a total of 15 years behind bars. The alleged attack follows a spate of sexual offences committed by migrants across Europe. New Years Eve celebrations in Cologne were marred when as many as 1,000 women were sexually assaulted and robbed by men of North African and Arabic origin.