British tourist, 22, ‘was raped in a pizzeria by barman, 30, who pushed her into a side room when she dropped in for a meal while on holiday in Naples’
- The woman described the dark incident as 'the worst experience of her life'
A British tourist has told an Italian court how she was raped by a bartender in Naples after eating at a pizzeria while on holiday.
Returning to the southern Italian city to testify before a judge, the 22-year-old tourist told the court this week how she was on holiday in July when she had “the worst experience of my life”.
According to her testimony, the incident took place at a location in the historic center of Naples, where she had stopped to relax, taste the food and enjoy a few drinks, Italian daily Il Mattino reports.
There, the young woman claims, she met a 30-year-old bartender who she said spoke good English, and the pair started talking.
But the innocent encounter quickly turned dark when the bartender forced her into a separate room in the property and forced himself on her, she claims.
Returning to the southern Italian city to testify before a judge, the 22-year-old tourist told the court this week how she was on holiday in the southern Italian city when she had 'the worst experience of her life'.
The victim expressed her reluctance during the incident and confirmed that she had only returned to Naples to see her attacker appear in court.
“If I came back here to confirm what I said during the complaint, it is to get justice,” the woman told the court with the help of her Neapolitan lawyer, Lucilla Longone.
The suspect, a Neapolitan employee of the pizzeria bar, has flatly denied the charges and told the court through his lawyers that he is not guilty and that he will defend all charges.
The judge has launched a critical investigation, including a DNA test on biological traces found on the victim's clothing – evidence that is expected to be central to the case.
The unfolding legal proceedings now await the results of the test to determine the veracity of the allegations.
This case is part of the broader efforts of the Naples Public Prosecutor's Office, especially the department dealing with gender violence.
The case comes amid intense scrutiny of gender-based violence in Naples after two young girls – cousins aged 11 and 12 – were victims of a horrific gang rape by a group of teenagers in an abandoned sports complex earlier this year.
The alarming statistics show that more than 5,000 cases of violence against women occur in Naples every year, which according to Il Mattino underlines the urgency of rapid and effective responses under the 'red code'.
These regulations, adopted in 2019, require a rapid and thorough investigation following a complaint of serious crimes such as sexual violence or domestic violence.
The case comes amid intense scrutiny of gender-based violence in Naples after two young girls – cousins aged 11 and 12 – were victims of a horrific gang rape by a group of teenagers in an abandoned sports complex earlier this year.
That incident made headlines in Italy, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visiting the scene of the crime and meeting with local officials to organize a 10 million euro grant to revive the complex and dilapidated suburb to blow.
Meloni labeled the alleged rapes as “an inhuman act, a notorious crime that has really shocked everyone,” adding that there are “more stories like this than the ones that appear in the news.”