The incident is said to have happened in the toilet of a bar in Turin in 2019. The woman asked the man to show her where the bathroom was, left the door ajar and asked him to pass her some tissue, according to local newspaper CronacaQui. The man was originally convicted of sexual assault, but the Court of Appeal overturned the conviction after finding that the alleged victim “gave him hope” with her actions. According to Italian newspaper Il Corriere della Sera, the woman’s statement previously said she had repeatedly said “no” and “what are you doing?” The decision has sparked outrage across Italy, with politicians criticizing the decision. Maria Edera Spadoni, vice-president of the Five Star Movement, said the fight against gender-based violence “was in danger of being undermined by such decisions”. “Women need to feel cared for and have faith in the justice system,” she tweeted. Laura Ravetto from the right-wing League party debated the case in parliament, saying it was “unacceptable”. Meanwhile, Amnesty Italia said the decision shows that “stereotypes still exist in the halls of justice”. The 25-year-old was previously sentenced to two years and two months until 2021. The Court of Appeal has now referred to these facts in its decision to overturn the conviction. “We cannot rule out the possibility that the young woman had given the man hope, had him accompany her to the toilet, given her a tissue, held the door ajar, an opening that was surely read by the defendant as an invitation to proceed. .” It comes just several years after a court in Turin acquitted a man of rape because the woman did not scream.
