Anger at the acquittal because the sexual assault “only” lasted a short time

The attack lasted “a few seconds” and was therefore “clumsy, but devoid of lustful intent” – the court ruled after the incident.

Ten seconds and a “short fumble” – the decision of a court in Rome with these hashtags has been criticized by many Italians on social media for a few days. According to a media report, a school janitor grabbed a 17-year-old student’s panties and groped her buttocks on a staircase. But the court acquitted the man last week because the attack lasted less than 10 seconds.

Since then, the outrage has been great. People are posting videos on Instagram and Tiktok under the hashtag #10secondi (German: ten seconds) to show how long a “palpata breve” (German: short touch) can last.

The stopwatch runs for ten seconds while the men and women look into the camera and touch the intimate parts of their bodies. Italian actor Paolo Camelli, known for his role in The White Lotus, got things started. He was followed by the influencer Chiara Ferragni, well known in Italy.

He was acting “for fun.”

According to the Corriere della Sera newspaper, the case occurred in April 2022. When the student went up with her friend to go to class, she felt someone from behind her pants and for about five to ten seconds reached under her panties. . The doorman later admitted that he touched the 17-year-old’s buttocks, but said he never reached her hand from under her pants and said he did it “for fun”.

According to the report, the court acquitted him of the sexual assault charge. His actions did not constitute a crime, as quoted by the “Corriere della Sera” of the ruling. The attack lasted “a few seconds” and was therefore “clumsy, but devoid of lustful intent”. The student was upset by this. “It was no joke, at least to me,” she told Corriere della Sera on Wednesday. (APA)