Girl, 14, dragged behind a bush and raped while waiting for a bus sparking outrage in Italy as man, 40, arrested
Locals say they're ready to take to the streets next week as a sign of protest
A SCHOOLGIRL was allegedly dragged behind a bush and raped as she waited for a bus in Italy.
A 40-year-old Pakistani man has been arrested after the girl, 14, was allegedly assaulted in the Casanova neighbourhood of Bolzano in the Italian Alps.
The teen had headphones on and was listening to music as she waited for the bus when a man reportedly asked her for directions.
He claimed he wasn’t from the area but his questions quickly became sexual, reports.
According to the Italian outlet, the girl attempted to flee but the man soon caught up with her and pulled her into a bush where he allegedly raped her.
During the alleged attack at 7.30pm on Friday, the girl reportedly screamed and fought back but nobody heard her.
After 15 minutes, she was able to free herself by using her elbow to hit her attacker.
The distraught teen fled and sought help from a local woman who contacted the police and stayed with her until emergency services arrived.
She was taken to hospital for treatment.
The attacker ran away but was detained by cops just before he got on a bus heading to Bolzano city centre.
The case has since sparked outrage across Italy, with Bolzano residents saying they’re ready to protest against the crime next week in a torchlight procession.
Italian deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini shared the case on social media and wrote: “Let’s see if in this case too there will be a judge who will force us to keep this precious foreign ‘resource’ in Italy too…”
According to police, the alleged rapist is a 40-year-old Pakistani male who resides in the Italian town and is being held on suspicion of aggravated sexual assault.
Before recently relocating to Bolzano to work in a restaurant, the man reportedly worked in Verona and had been living legally in Italy for years.
On Saturday, he was taken before a judge who ruled that because the man posed a flight risk, he must stay behind bars.
The judge was also concerned the defendant may attack again if freed.
