The decision of the Court of Appeal of Turin has caused a sensation in Italy, which acquitted a young man of rape on the grounds that "the girl had been drinking and pushed him to dare".
The two young people, friends since school days, had met in a Turin bar to have a drink. The girl went to the toilet, and as she testified, "he forced her to have sexual intercourse with him, even though she had clearly told him she didn't want to". The trial court verdict was convicting the youth, with a sentence of two years and two months in prison.
Now, however, the appeals court has ruled that "ecause of the girl's alcohol use, she also forced the man to approach her when she had initially stayed outside the door". At the same time, even though the defendant admitted to pulling down the girl's pants, the appellate court members felt that "the zipper, given the particularity of the moment, may have broken because it was of poor quality."
The Italian media underline that the reasoning of the decision refers to past times, in which women victims of rape were almost always considered guilty as well, on the grounds that they were "provoking their rapist". The prosecutor in charge has announced that he will appeal against this decision to the Italian Supreme Court.
Source: protothema.gr
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