Court Frees Old Man Caught Having Sex With 11-Year Because They are in Love

A court has annulled a five-year jail term for a 60-year-old man who was caught having sex with an 11-year-old-girl because they have a ‘romantic relationship’. The supreme court in the southern Italian town of Catanzaro ruled that it was a ‘real relationship’. The young girl is said to be from a disadvantaged background and was in the care of a man who works for the town’s social services department. However, police raided the man’s seaside villa to find the pair naked in bed together.

 

The man was given a five-year sentence for sexual violence against a minor, as the age of consent is 14 and rises to 16 when one of the partners is in position of authority or care over the younger participant.

 

However, the child sex victim reportedly claimed to be in love with the elderly man and the court ruled the pair have a ‘romantic relationship’. The case has been referred back to the Catanzaro court for a retrial.