OUTRAGEOUS

Italy to Probe Rape Case After Man Acquitted Because Woman Didn’t Scream

Man acquitted because the alleged victim didn't scream.

Italy’s justice minister has ordered an investigation after a court acquitted a man accused of rape because his alleged victim didn’t scream during the attack. The ruling by the court in Turin last month has triggered outrage in the country, with many questioning the court’s treatment of the alleged victim. Italy’s Corriere della Sera newspaper reported that the accuser said she was forced into sex acts by a superior at work, who allegedly threatened to stop giving her work if she didn’t comply. The accuser, who was not identified, reportedly said, “Enough!” during the act, but a judge ruled that her reaction had not “betrayed the emotion that a violation of her person had to inspire in her.” The judge also said the alleged sexual assault she described was “unlikely” and “did not exist,” according to the BBC’s translation of the Corriere della Sera report. In court, the alleged victim said she had not responded more strongly because “with people who are too strong, I just freeze.” Prosecutors said she was a victim of abuse by her father when she was a child. Justice Minister Andrea Orlando has ordered ministry inspectors to review the case, which centered on incidents in 2011. The alleged victim is now facing charges of slander for her accusation.