17-year-old girl prosecuted for carrying pepper spray

A Danish teenager who was sexually assaulted near a migrant asylum centre has been told she will be prosecuted after using pepper spray to fend off her attacker.

The 17-year-old told police she was targeted in the coastal town of Sonderborg by an English-speaking man, who knocked her to the ground and tried to undress her.

But she managed to prevent the man from attacking her further by spraying the substance at him.

However, as it is illegal to use pepper spray, the teenage girl is set to face charges. It is likely she will face a 500 Krone (£50) fine

Local police spokesman Knud Kirsten told TV Syd: 'It is illegal to possess and use pepper spray, so she will likely to be charged for that.'

The man who attacked the girl fled from the scene and has not yet been charged. It is unclear if the man was an asylum seeker or refugee.

However, the case has sparked a controversy in Denmark, where there has been increasing reports of sexual harrassment towards women.

Earlier this month, several females in Sønderborg reported feeling harrassed by the aggressive nature of male refugee at the local asylum centre.

It comes after it was reported that there have been a rising number of sex attacks by migrant gangs across a number of European countries, including in the German city of Cologne.

This has prompted several nightcubs in Sonderborg to bar people from entering unless they can speak Danish, German or English.

The language requirements have reportedly been put in place in several establishments in the wake of reports of 'foreign men in groups' harassing female guests.

Buddy Holly, a night club in Sønderborg, near the German border, popular with local students, applies a language policy for all guests, and the owner defends it as a safety measure.

'We have some rules so that our guests can have a pleasant experience and feel safe,' owner Tom Holden told TV2, adding that it has been the club's policy for years.

Meanwhile Denmark's parliament has voted in favour of seizing asylum seekers' assets in a controversial bid to reduce the numbers moving there.

Under a new law, officials will have the power to search migrants for valuables and take cash and possessions worth more than around £1,000 to help pay for their stay.

Only wedding rings and items of sentimental value will be exempt.

Asylum seekers will also have to wait three years before family members can join them in the country, instead of the current one year.