Casalnuovo, "It was me": The shopkeeper confesses to raping the 12-year-old.

Casalnuovo – He decided to give in after days of intense tension, silence, and intense media pressure. "I couldn't take it anymore," the 46-year-old man, arrested on the very serious charge of sexual assault against a 12-year-old boy, reportedly admitted to investigators.

The man, owner of a business in Casalnuovo, made a full confession before Teresa Valentino, the investigating judge of the Nola Court. According to reports, he broke his silence after receiving several text messages addressed to his daughter.

The deception in the back room

The events date back to the afternoon of June 13th. According to investigators' reconstruction, the man first gained the young man's trust and then lured him into the back room of the store under the pretext of conducting an online search, where the assault took place.

During questioning, the suspect reconstructed the moment he revealed the truth to his wife: "I told my wife everything. I told her, 'It was me, I'm making you suffer, stop, we're not going to the lawyer to file a complaint.'" The man then attempted to defend his past, claiming he had worked with disabled children for months without anything ever happening. The young victim, represented by lawyer Francesco Petruzzi, was also interviewed by the public prosecutor under protected procedure.

The community's response: crowdfunding begins

While the legal proceedings unfold, the local community has mobilized to ensure the little boy's family is not left alone. At the initiative of a resident, Vanessa Ricciardelli, a fundraiser has been launched on the GoFundMe platform to cover medical and legal expenses. The child requires psychotherapy in addition to that provided by the local health authority.

"I've known the shopkeeper for ten years and was a customer of his, but I also know and respect the child's family," explains the initiative's promoter. "The idea that such abuse could have occurred in a place I frequented shocked me. I knew I had to do something: I took to the streets with the child's mother and started the crowdfunding campaign, which has quickly raised over €5.000." The funds raised are going directly to the family's bank account to ensure maximum transparency.