A 42-year old Bengali man who sexually abused a 13-year-old girl in the Italian city of Turin over the weekend was released just two days later on Monday by a local judge because the offender said he was “sorry.”
The judge’s shocking decision prompted outrage and condemnation from Italian government authorities, including Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who expressed her solidarity with the victim.
The Italian newspaper La Stampa reports that the heinous crime occurred on Saturday afternoon at a mini market located in northern Turin. The victim told police she went to the locale to buy a a fruit juice drink for her brother after he had finished cooking lunch.
A store worker — later identified as a 42 year-old Bengali national — engaged in conversation with her. He eventually asked the girl if he could “hug her” before sexually assaulting the minor.
La Stampa pointed out that it omitted the details of the assault from its report out of decency and compassion toward the minor.
Per the newspaper, the victim left the store in a complete state of shock. She was able to call a friend who helped her arrive home. She spoke with her mother, who later called the police. The minor victim further testified to the police that a similar incident had occurred just two weeks prior, when the same man “put his hand on me” but she managed to get out of the store. The girl was examined by a pediatrician at Turin’s Regina Margherita hospital.
Italian police officers reportedly arrived at the store and noted the suspect’s “agitated state,” exhibiting an impatient and restless behavior during questioning. Most shockingly, video surveillance footage obtained from the store revealed evidence that the suspect had also assaulted a woman 40 minutes before the abuse against the minor took place.
“The man persisted in his behavior despite her clear refusal, attempting to hold her inside the store until she managed to reach the exit, but not before the man suddenly groped her one last time,” the police officers wrote in their report, per La Stampa.
The Bengali man was detained on Saturday. Local prosecutors accused the man of being a repeat offender during a preliminary hearing on Monday. Despite the evidence presented, a local judge released the man after he said, “I’m sorry for what happened. It had never happened to me before,” during the hearing.
Per Rai News, the man justified his behavior by claiming he had drunk “two tequilas.” The judge reportedly claimed in the hearing that “strong evidence of guilt” against the man was found and acknowledged that the victim’s testimony is logical, consistent, and corroborated by surveillance camera. Nevertheless, the man was released because of his “remorse” and “cooperative attitude.”
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her outrage over the man’s release in a message published at her official Facebook account.
“A 13-year-old girl leaves home to buy a snack for her brothers. She walks into a convenience store. She comes out devastated,” Meloni wrote. “A man is arrested within a few hours on charges of being responsible for that assault. The prosecutor requests jail time. Two nights. Then he’s out.”
“The judge’s reasoning is: he had no prior convictions, he cooperated, and he said he was sorry.”
Meloni pointed out that the laws her government has written are strict, law enforcement did its duty in a timely manner, and the “entire system worked,” only for a judge to throw it all away in just 48 hours.
The Prime Minister said that her government is sending inspectors from the Justice Ministry to Turin to investigate what transpired as it is the only thing the executive can do.
“Who’s going to explain this to that family? Who’s going to explain this to that neighborhood, which knows tonight that that man is back there?” Meloni asked. “We’ll keep going. Regulations, personnel, equipment, resources. All the way through. But this makes it really difficult.”
“My complete solidarity goes out to the young woman and her family,” she concluded.
Justice Minister Carlo Nordio later confirmed that inspectors have been sent to Turin, noting that the controversial ruling falls within the separation of powers between the executive and the judiciary. In spite of that, Nordio said that the inspectors will gather all of the relevant information in light of the exceptional circumstances of the case and the social commotion it has caused.
Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini expressed his disgust at the “unbelievable” release of the sexual abuser from prison — describing the man as a “pig” with “all due respect to pigs.” Salvini, who said he would “love” to meet the judge that ordered the release, reiterated the calls made by his party Lega to implement the chemical castration of rapists.