Scandal in Italy. The Milan Court of Appeal confirmed a first instance ruling that benefited a trade unionist accused of sexual violence against a stewardess.
A year ago a court of Rome acquitted the doorman of a film school who abused an 18-year-old student because he had touched her tail “only” for 10 secondss. Now, the Milan Court of Appeals has freed a trade unionist who sexually abused a stewardess because the woman allegedly It took her 20 seconds to make it clear that she didn’t want to have relations with him.
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The ruling confirmed the first instance ruling of a court in Busto Arsizio, in northern Italy, in 2022.
Maria Teresa Manentehead of the legal office of the “Difference Donna” (Difference Woman) association, which sponsored the victim, announced that he will appeal the ruling before the Court of Cassation, the highest judicial instance in the country. “This sentence delays 30 years”, he denounced.
How was the case that scandalized Italy?
The case dates back to March 2018 when a stewardess, whose name was not revealed, addressed the union member Raffaele Meola, in charge of union affairs at Malpensa airport in Milan. The flight attendant needed advice due to a work situation, according to the local press.
According to the woman, Meola committed “sexual violence” during the meeting.
The stewardess filed a complaint, but the Busto Arsizio court, in the province of Varese, acquitted the accused. The head of the court of first instance, Nicoletta Guerrerosaid that in the process “the victim was believed,” but that the fact was not proven.
Now, the Milan Court of Appeals upheld the ruling in the first instance.
According to La Stampafor the judges the woman had 20 seconds of passivity when the attack occurred and that “delay” would ruin the complaint.
“This sentence takes us back 30 years and renounces all the jurisprudence of the Supreme Court that for more than ten years has affirmed that a sexual act, carried out suddenly, without the consent of the woman, is a crime of sexual violence and It should be judged as such,” Manente said.
