In a brutal sexual assault, a Muslim immigrant "paralyzed" a 13-year-old girl; the judge let him go because he "apologized."
A Bangladeshi migrant was found guilty by prosecutors of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl, leaving her disabled.
But instead of putting him in jail, the judge let him go free, citing his cooperation and repentance as good enough justification.
A 42-year-old Bangladeshi man lured the young girl into the rear of the store and sexually abused her while she was shopping for food for her brothers in a corner store on the outskirts of Turin, Italy.
She informed her mother what had happened when she got home in tears. After that, the store owner was taken into jail by the police and placed under detention.
But just two days later, judges decided that he had cooperated with the police, expressed regret, and apologized for his acts, leading to his release.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has requested a review of the matter, which received extensive coverage in Italy.
According to Italian media, the girl told police: “He gave me a drink as a gift, then he came close to me and asked if I had a boyfriend.
“He asked me how old I was. I told him and he said, ‘You’re very young’,” she said.
She said she was left in “a state of shock, paralysed” by the assault.
The shopkeeper allegedly attempted to attack an adult woman forty minutes prior, according to security footage.
According to GB News, the judges' decision to release the guy will be appealed by the prosecution.
Ms Meloni took to social media to say: “A young girl of 13 leaves home to buy some snacks for her siblings. She goes into a mini market. She comes out devastated.
“A man is arrested, accused of perpetrating the violence against her. Prosecutors demand that he be remanded in jail. Two nights. Then he’s out.
“The judges’ reasoning? That he did not have a criminal record, that he had cooperated with them, that he had said he was ‘sorry’.
“‘Sorry’. Who’s going to explain all this to the family? Who is going to explain to the neighbourhood, which has to live with the fact that the man will be back there this evening? All my solidarity with the girl and her family.”
Carlo Nordio, the justice minister, has ordered inspectors from the ministry to examine the case and the judges’ ruling.
Paola Boscaini, an MP with Forza Italia, one of the three parties that make up Ms Meloni’s governing coalition, said: “If we really want to protect women and fight violence against women, we cannot accept that a person accused of molesting a 13-year-old girl can be permitted to leave prison after 48 hours just because the judges said that he was sorry.
“The state is delivering a very dangerous message with this. It is unacceptable.”
The government of Ms. Meloni has repeatedly accused Italy's legal system of being left-leaning and lenient when it comes to illegal immigration.
An organization that combats child sexual abuse has declared that it will stage a protest on Friday in front of Turin's main court.
Sep 6, 2026 · 4:53 AM UTC
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