‘She Left the Bathroom Door Open’: Italian Court Acquits Man Accused of Rape
A young Italian man has been cleared of rape after a judge ruled that the woman leaving her toilet door open was an ‘invitation to dare’ and ’caused the man to approach’.
In a ruling at Turin’s appeals court last Friday, the judge said that the ‘victim’ was ‘high after an excessive use of alcohol’ when she and a man went into the toilets of a pub together in the city centre in May 2019.
The woman also had a broken zip fastening on her jeans, but this was ruled out as proof that she was undressed by the man because it was ‘old and worn out’.
The appeal sentence overturned a two-year conviction for rape and has since been widely condemned by politicians and women’s groups.
Laura Ravetto, an MP for political party League, said the sentence was ‘spine-chilling’.
A young Italian man has been cleared of rape after a judge ruled that the woman leaving her toilet door open was an ‘invitation to dare’ and ’caused the man to approach’.
In a ruling at Turin’s appeals court last Friday, the judge said that the ‘victim’ was ‘high after an excessive use of alcohol’ when she and a man went in to the toilets of a pub together in the city centre in May 2019.
The woman also had a broken zip fastening on her jeans, but this was ruled out as proof that she was undressed by the man because it was ‘old and worn out’.
The appeal sentence overturned a two-year conviction for rape and has since been widely condemned by politicians and women’s groups.
Laura Ravetto, an MP for political party League, said the sentence was ‘spine-chilling’.
The two 22-year-old men were originally cleared in 2017, but the reason for their ruling was only made public last week after the court of appeal ordered a retrial.
Judges said the accused had found the victim unattractive and one stored her number in his phone under ‘Viking,’ alluding to her masculine frame.
Hundreds gathered in demonstration against the decision outside the courthouse in Ancona in central Italy on Monday.
‘For shame!’ shouted about 200 demonstrators, accusing the justice system of misogyny and a ‘witch hunt.’
The men, both Peruvians, had initially been convicted in 2016 of raping a Peruvian woman in 2015, but the Ancona appeals court threw out the charges, saying the woman’s story was not believable.
And in 2017, another judge sparked outrage outrage after clearing a man of raping a woman on a hospital bed because she didn’t scream.
The alleged attacker, 46, walked free from court in Turin, northern Italy, after the judge questioned why the woman did not call out for help.
Although she said ‘enough!’ to the former colleague accused of raping her, the court ruled that this constituted too weak a reaction to prove that she was sexually attacked.
