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 unclad 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 s¤x 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
