A prominent Swiss politician is alleged to have repeatedly drugged and raped an Irish teenager and her mother.Prosecutors say Patrick Frei (57) recorded the incidents which allegedly occurred while Paula – 14 at the time – and her mother Iwona were living with him in the Swiss town of Untersiggenthal.After the alleged abuse came to light in 2023, Swiss immigration authorities attempted to deport the two women. That decision was reversed earlier this month.The alleged abuse and subsequent treatment of the mother and daughter has sent shock waves through Switzerland. Authorities have now announced an independent investigation into the handling of the women’s case.Iwona and her Irish daughter Paula near their home in Untersiggenthal, Switzerland. Photograph: Alan Betson/The Irish Times
Frei was a member of the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP) and sat on the government body in the Canton of Aargau. Before resigning from his position after the allegations came to light, he was known for taking a hard stance against immigration and calling for tougher sentences.The nature of the alleged offences have caused Swiss media to compare the case to that of Gisèle Pelicot, a French woman who went public after being drugged by her husband and raped by dozens of men.In an interview, Paula, who is now 18, told The Irish Times they first met Frei while on holiday in Spain. Iwona and Frei began a relationship and he frequently visited them in Ireland, where they lived at the time.In 2022, Iwona and Paula moved in with Frei in Switzerland and Iwona became his housekeeper. In September 2023, Iwona said she caught Frei coming out of her daughter’s room one night with a GoPro camera.She called the police, who reviewed the footage on the camera and immediately arrested Frei. He has been in custody since.Police found dozens of videos which prosecutors say showed Paula and Iwona being raped and sexually abused over the course of 15 months.The first alleged incident involving Paula occurred 12 days after she arrived in Switzerland, the videos show. Prosecutors alleged Frei abused Paula for a total of 40 hours over the course of 40 different nights.Both victims were unconscious throughout the incidents and have no memory of them. Prosecutors alleged Frei administered powerful date-rape drugs to knock them out before abusing them. This led authorities to charge Frei with attempted murder as well as sexual offences. The alleged drugging of the mother and daughter could have caused suffocation at any time, prosecutors say.A year after police began to investigate Frei, Swiss immigration authorities issued a deportation order against Paula and Iwona. They argued the work visa arranged by Frei for Iwona was fraudulent. They also ruled the mother and daughter, who had no income after Frei’s arrest, were only entitled to emergency financial assistance rather than full social welfare payments.Iwona and her daughter Paula, who was 14 at the time of the alleged sexual abuse by Patrick Frei. Photograph: Alan Betson/The Irish Times
