Forlì: He molests three young women, arrested for sexual assault

The Carabinieri of the Forlì Station, a few evenings before the international day against violence against women, in the very centre of this capital city, they tracked down and placed under arrest on suspicion of crime a 28-year-old foreign citizen, illegally residing in the country and without a home, as he was considered the presumed perpetrator of the crime of aggravated sexual violence.

Towards the middle of November, at the Carabinieri Station in Forlì, three young women came forward, reporting sexual incidents they had suffered in the space of a few days, in the evening and in an area close to the centre (i.e. between the university area and the railway station). Two victims reported episodes of groping at the hands of a man (who later fled on foot) who had surprised them when, alone and in the evening, they were walking in the streets adjacent to the university area.

In another case the young woman – who also had to seek medical attention for the bruises he suffered – she had been attacked by a man in an underground car park near the centre. The incident occurred when, alone, she was getting into her car and was attacked from behind by a stranger who forcefully hit her and immobilized her inside the car, attempting to perform sexual acts on her. By screaming and resisting with strength and determination, she managed to make the attacker desist and flee.

The timely investigations started by the Carabinieri involved in the delicate activity, also carried out with complex, discreet and prolonged services in the areas of interest, they allowed – one evening in the days immediately following, at the same time and in a secluded area close to where the groping had taken place – to identify and stop the alleged perpetrator, who corresponded to the description provided by the victims and who was still wearing the clothing used in the previous days.

Given the real risk of escape and the possible repetition of the conduct, the man was immediately placed under judicial police custody by the military of the Arma, who seized some relevant material from him and locked him up in the Forlì prison.

During the subsequent validation hearing, finding that he was subject to precautionary measures and serious evidence of guilt for both the sexual assault and the personal injuries, the Preliminary Investigation Judge, as requested by the Public Prosecutor's Office of Forlì, validated the activity carried out by the Carabinieri and ordered his remand in prison. Investigations are underway to verify the possibility that the same individual may be responsible for further similar conduct. Victims are invited to contact the Carabinieri of Forlì Corso Mazzini and report, without fear, what happened.