A teenage tourist was allegedly raped at the ruins of Pompeii after a caretaker at the ancient archaeological park allegedly posed as a tour guide and lured him to a secluded area.
The suspect is accused of leading the boy to one of the historic homes at the site before allegedly assaulting him.
Caretaker allegedly posed as tour guide
The caretaker allegedly approached the student and made him believe he was a guide, using his park uniform to support the deception.
He then offered to show the boy one of the domus, or houses, that are normally closed to the public.
Once inside, the man allegedly grabbed, groped and kissed the victim despite being firmly refused.
When the boy tried to fight him off, the alleged assault reportedly became violent.
The victim accused the caretaker of forcing him to undergo repeated sexual acts.
Victim reports incident to police
The victim immediately filed a complaint with the Carabinieri, Italy’s police force, providing what was described as a clear and detailed account of the incident.
Police stationed near the archaeological excavations then launched an investigation.
The alleged perpetrator was identified after the victim recognised him from surveillance footage recorded at the park.
He was subsequently apprehended and taken to Vallo della Luciana prison.
A detention order was approved because of the seriousness of the alleged crime, the perceived danger posed by the suspect and the risk of repeated offences.
Pompeii director expresses shock
Pompeii park director Gabriel Zuchtriegel said the site’s management’s thoughts were with the victim of the serious incident of sexual violence which, according to the investigation, allegedly occurred at the archaeological site.
He said disciplinary consequences would also follow once all necessary internal investigations had been completed.
Zuchtriegel described the incident as very serious and shocking, particularly because it occurred at a place that should be a stronghold of humanity and culture.
He also said the park would assess whether to join any civil action in a possible trial.
The incident comes after two 18-year-old British women were allegedly raped by a tourism worker during a holiday in Greece.
The women told local police they had met the man while holidaying in Zante, off the western coast of mainland Greece.
According to local media outlet Ethnos, both women alleged that they were later raped by the same man.
After hearing the allegations, the mother of one of the women immediately travelled from the UK to Greece.
According to local media reports, she tracked down the suspect at his workplace and attacked him.
Police were called to the scene, and both the mother and suspect were taken to a police station.
The suspect was arrested on suspicion of rape, with a case filed against him.
