An Italian court has acquitted a janitor who attacked a schoolgirl, saying he did so “just a few seconds” and without “libidinous or lusty intent”, in a ruling that has sparked widespread outrage, reports RTE.
According to court documents, the girl said the man approached her from behind, put his hand inside her panties and lifted her slightly in the air, pulling up her pants after walking up the stairs with a friend.
The incident took place last April at a secondary school in Rome’s Ostiense district and “the whole thing lasted about five to ten seconds”, judges said in their ruling, reports RTE.
The 66-year-old porter said he reached into the girl’s pants and held her for a few seconds “as a joke”.
He later begged the girl to let it go, telling her “You will ruin my life, I didn’t do anything to you,” reports RTE.
In their July 6 ruling, the panel of judges said the inappropriate gesture was so brief that it left “ample doubts” as to whether it was voluntary, and stated that the argument was a hoax.
The girl’s lawyer, Andrea Buitoni, told news site Fanpage that the decision would “definitely” be appealed.
“This is not the way an old man jokes with a 17-year-old girl. At least that’s what I think,” the girl was quoted as saying by the Corriere della Sera newspaper, which said she has just turned 18, reports RTE.
The ruling sparked outrage online, with thousands of social media users posting videos of touching private parts with the hashtags #10seconds and #quickgrope.
The online campaign was launched earlier this week by actor and comedian Paolo Camilli, who stars in the television series The While Lotus, and fondled his chest on camera, saying, “If this is not harassment, what is?,” reports RTE.
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