Nauru refugee

The deputy Nauru police commissioner, Kalinda Blake, told Sky News that police had been investigating since the alleged victim, a girl aged under 16 who is not in detention, reported the alleged attack about two weeks ago.

She had come forward to the police department’s domestic violence and sexual assault unit, Blake said.

“We are still gathering more witness statements and making the case more concrete before we take it to the [Department of Public Prosecutions] office.”

She said the man was about 30 years old.

The man, who is understood to have been granted refugee status, was allegedly removed without warning or legal representation.

Daniel Webb, the director of legal advocacy at the Human Rights Law Centre, said the man was not a client of his organisation, but did have a lawyer who was not informed of the removal.

"A decent and compassionate government which respects the rule of law doesn't choose to secretively deport people found to be refugees in the middle of the night without any transparency, due process or access to legal advice," said Mr Webb.

“The Iranian refugee left Cambodia for his native country in April because he volunteered to return home,” said Kerm Sarin, head of administration at the Interior Ministry’s immigration department on Sunday.

“We don’t know why he left; he just told us that he was volunteering to return home.”