The Santa Maria Capua Vetere Court's ruling marks a significant turning point in the trial involving an 18-year-old accused of attempted sexual assault during the Caserta nightlife. The reclassification of the charge to domestic violence radically changes the perception.
Caserta – The trial of an 18-year-old man of North African origin, accused of attempted sexual assault against two young women during the Caserta nightlife in November 2023, ended with a partial acquittal and a significantly reduced sentence.
The First Criminal Section of the Court of Santa Maria Capua Vetere acquitted the defendant on one count, while reclassifying the other count, excluding sexual assault and classifying the conduct as the less serious offence of domestic violence (Article 610 of the Criminal Code), sentencing him to six months' imprisonment, with a suspended sentence.
The investigation began after officers from the Caserta Police Headquarters' General Prevention Office intervened, alerted by a call from a young woman who reported being approached in the street by a young man who had attempted physical contact. Shortly thereafter, a second woman came forward to the officers, reporting a similar incident, attributing the responsibility to a young man with the same physical characteristics.
According to the initial reconstruction, the boy was chased away by a passerby and subsequently tracked down by officers. After his arrest, he was taken to the Santa Maria Capua Vetere prison and then transferred to Ariano Irpino. After about a month, the young man was released and placed first under house arrest and subsequently required to report to the judicial police daily.
The trial, which began in 2024, involved the examination of numerous witnesses, including the two victims and the officers who intervened. The defense, led by Angelo Librace, highlighted contradictions in the accounts during the trial and emphasized that the defendant had no criminal record and was unknown to law enforcement.
The Santa Maria Capua Vetere Prosecutor's Office, following the preliminary investigation, requested a six-year prison sentence. The defense disagreed, requesting an acquittal due to insufficient evidence and, alternatively, a reclassification of the crime.
The panel of judges partially accepted the defense's argument, pronouncing an acquittal on one count and reducing the other, with a "soft" sentence that excludes sexual violence and concludes the judicial matter with a suspended sentence.
Source EDITORIAL TEAM
Comments (1)
The court's ruling appears to have shed new light on the case, but many points remain unclear. Domestic violence is not a crime to be underestimated, but the complex situation certainly makes it difficult to understand how justice should proceed.