Well-settled, calm despite a difficult past. They were hosted in a community housing. All of them would have reached the shores of the island as minors, facing the journey by sea on a small boat.
Unable to be expelled because they were not yet 18 years old – the law prohibits it – they ended up in centers for unaccompanied foreign minors. Two of the seven suspects collaborated with the investigators. They would not have raped the victim, but they certainly witnessed the assault and, like the others, are accused of group sexual violence.
The first to accept, at the request of the operator of the center to whom he had reported what had happened, to speak to the carabinieri is 19 years old. The structure in Catania is his first home in Italy. It is there that he attended Italian courses and was soon to start the training workshops followed by internships, a concrete gateway to employment.
Generally, the boys are then sent to companies that deal with catering, construction or tourism. The residence permit issued to minors had expired and he was waiting for it to be converted into a study-work permit. The court had already expressed a favorable opinion.
He does not speak Italian very well and his account of the evening of the assault was translated to the investigators by a cultural mediator. He had arrived at the community a few months ago after being transferred from another center. Just of legal age, his residence permit had expired and he had received a new document, the so-called long-term measure for integration.
After a training internship, he had indeed started working in construction. “What happened has shocked us,” says Angela Pennisi, legal immigration manager of the community. “The boy maintains ties with his family of origin, has participated in parish activities and animation, and photography workshops…
He is a young man who has always shown a desire to engage, giving good results. I would describe him as a sweet person.” A few hours later, the friend went to the barracks with an operator and told his version of the facts.
“I didn’t rape her,” he reportedly said in broken Italian. According to the investigators’ reconstruction, he would have witnessed the violence without intervening in defense of the victim. Unlike his friend, who was immediately placed under house arrest, he is still in prison.
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