A ‘famous photographer’ locked himself in the room of an anorexic woman in an Italian hospital and raped her before trying to attack a second victim.
The 36-year-old man, described by local media as a ‘well-known Afghan photographer’, attacked the two women at Molinette Hospital in Turin on May 23.
He reportedly went to the emergency department with his girlfriend and showed signs of anxiety and a panic attack.
The man, a refugee from Afghanistan, was quickly admitted and taken to the hospital’s psychiatric ward, to a wing reserved for people with eating disorders or mild mental illness, local media said.
Because there was no available bed in the ward, he was placed on a temporary bed in the hallway.
The lights went out at 9pm and the man took the opportunity to sneak into the room of a 35-year-old anorexic woman.
He allegedly locked the door, blocked the entrance with a cupboard and removed the alarm bell from the wall before attacking and raping the woman.
The woman tried to scream during the attack, but the man covered her mouth.
The 36-year-old man, described by local media as a “well-known Afghan photographer,” attacked the two women at Molinette Hospital (entrance pictured) in Turin, Italy, on May 23.
He then fled into another woman’s room and locked the door, but the 66-year-old managed to chase the alleged attacker away before he could attack her.
She screamed for help at the same time the first woman reactivated her alarm bell and alerted hospital staff.
The public prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into the Afghan man.
The hospital’s security measures are also under investigation after staff reportedly failed to prevent the attack.
A psychiatric examination of the man revealed that although he is ‘socially dangerous’, he is unable to understand his actions. Le Corriere reports.
“The experts come up with a series of hypotheses, from schizophrenia to bipolarism, to an acute episode linked to cannabinoid use,” said the man’s lawyer, Elena Negri.
‘Essentially there is no clear diagnosis. Our requests to conduct further investigations, including requesting the defendant’s current medical records, have been denied.”
Negri had called for an investigation into the hospital and “those who did not intervene that night or intervened inadequately.”
The hospital’s security measures are under investigation after staff reportedly failed to prevent the attack
The man is due to stand trial in January.
Meanwhile, he was transferred from the hospital to a residence for the implementation of security measures (REMS), where psychiatric patients who have committed crimes are held.
The Afghan man was recently allowed to participate in a photo exhibition.