Naples – She thought she'd finally freed herself from her nightmare when her ex-boyfriend was sentenced to prison, but she was plunged back into terror a few days later.
A 26-year-old Neapolitan woman filed a new complaint with the Carabinieri after discovering that her ex, a 32-year-old man previously convicted of stalking, had resumed following her on social media.
On November 19, the man was sentenced in the first instance by the Court of Naples to 2 years and 8 months of prison for stalking.
According to the prosecution, he even installed spyware on the girl's cell phone, monitoring her messages, calls, and movements. This harassment lasted for months, forcing the young woman to change her lifestyle and abandon social media in order to escape her ex's obsessive scrutiny.
After the sentencing and the 32-year-old's subsequent prison sentence, the 26-year-old, reassured by the prison sentence, decided to reactivate her TikTok account, which she had previously removed to escape the man's insistent requests and unwanted contact.
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A few days ago, however, came a disturbing turn of events: scrolling through her notifications, the young woman saw a contact request from an account she knew all too well.
Upon accessing the profile, she immediately recognized all the posts, photos, and content attributable to her ex. The same account that, in the past, had tormented her with obsessive messages, requests, and interactions. Hence the panic and the decision to once again contact the police, reporting threats and further stalking.
Investigators are now focusing their investigations on the incident. Two hypotheses are being examined: either the 32-year-old managed to obtain a smartphone inside the prison, in violation of prison rules, or he entrusted an acquaintance with the login credentials for his social media accounts, thus continuing to manage them through a third party and maintaining contact, albeit virtual, with the victim.
"The contact request from her ex-boyfriend's profile," explains Sergio Pisani, the 26-year-old's lawyer, "has sent her back into the same state of dejection and fear she'd been experiencing for months. She's terrified again, afraid even to leave the house and return to her normal life."
The new complaint will now complement the findings already examined by the Court, which recognized the seriousness of the stalking. The case refocuses attention on the role of social networks as an "extension" of stalking behavior even when the perpetrator is formally detained, and on the need for increasingly stringent controls on the illicit use of electronic devices within prisons.
Comments (3)
The girl's situation is very serious, and shows how abuse can continue even through the use of social media. It's important to have stronger measures to prevent this behavior and protect victims.
It's truly worrying how some people continue to victimize others even after a conviction. I think law enforcement needs to be more vigilant in these cases to ensure the safety of the victims.
The episode described in the article is deeply disturbing, and makes one reflect on how social media can be misused. The girl deserves to feel safe and protected. I hope the authorities act quickly to resolve the situation.