An asylum seeker allegedly dragged a victim into bushes to attack her, 40 days after arriving in the UK by boat.
The 33-year-old man, who has not been named, has been charged with raping the woman, who he did not know, in Skegness, Lincolnshire.
Appearing at Lincolnshire Magistrates’ Court, the man was denied bail and is currently awaiting for his case to be heard at the city’s crown court.
It is unknown whether the man had any prior convictions before making the trip to Britain, with prosecutors and the authorities attempting to understand his background.
Matt Warman, the Skegness MP, said the alleged crime was “hugely shocking”.
He also said it “understandably raised a number of significant concerns”.
In a social media post, he added: “I would ask that people resist the understandable desire to speculate on this case.”
Currently, those arriving in the UK via small boats are being housed in hotels across Britain.
However, the Government is struggling to find enough accommodation for them.
Skegness is among the locations asylum seekers have been housed, but protests have been made via residents and businesses.
On Thursday, the Government is set to hear a court ruling over its plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda.
The Home Office said: “We do not comment on ongoing legal proceedings.”
