Bangladeshi athlete charged with assault

MELBOURNE, Mar 26 (Reuters) A Bangladeshi Commonwealth Games athlete has been charged with indecent assault after an incident at the Games village, Australian police said today.

Victoria state police commissioner Christine Nixon said a complaint had been lodged by a female village worker against the unidentified 40-year-old athlete.

''Late last night we became aware of an incident that happened at the village,'' Nixon told a news conference.

''He's been charged with indecent assault and unlawful assault on a 20-year-old woman who was a paid workforce member working at the village,'' she said.

Nixon said the man was taken into custody then released on bail and ordered to appear at a Melbourne court tomorrow. His passport was seized.

The assault case was the second at the Commonwealth Games village.

In an unrelated incident, Dewan Nabi, a 35-year-old masseur with the Indian team, was charged with indecently assaulting a 16-year-old cleaner in his room on March 17.

Nabi denies the charge and his case has been adjourned for a hearing in April.

Australian security officials have staged a huge operation guarding the Commonwealth Games but have had to defend their level of protection at the village after the two assault cases and four teenage prisoners escaped from a juvenile detention centre near the athletes village.

''We don't have any concerns about the way the village has been policed and the security and the behaviour of the vast majority of the people who have lived there,'' Nixon said.

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