He was wearing the same clothes as the evening in which – around 2am on March 2nd – he attacked Giulia, a 43-year-old professional, from behind in via Cristoforo Buondelmonti, in Pigneto, while she was returning home after meeting some friends in a club (the attacker took advantage of the fact that she was concentrating on adjusting the seat of the shared bicycle to throw her to the ground, grope her and bite her on the face in an attempt to kiss her). White sweatshirt, black jacket, physiognomic features corresponding to the description provided by Giulia and confirmed by other witnesses (among them a passer-by who intervened to help the woman who managed to scare away the attacker). The examination of the footage from the cameras present in the area was also fundamental, as it allowed us to reconstruct the movements of the 28-year-old of Egyptian origin before and after the ambush. But what made the soldiers suspicious, in addition to the information collected during the investigative activity, was the reaction of the young man, who as soon as he saw them gave the clear impression of wanting to get away as soon as possible.
Giulia: «I feel relieved, but I relived the trauma»
Once blocked by the carabinieri of the Torpignattara station and the Casilina company, the 28-year-old was taken to the barracks where he was recognized both by Giulia and by the witness who helped her after hearing her desperate cries. The man is now in prison in Regina Coeli: he has a clean criminal record but does not have a residence permit. «I feel relieved – it was Giulia’s first reaction at the end of an affair that affected her deeply -, but when they called me for recognition and I saw her face again it was like reliving the trauma of that night» .
Carabinieri checks have been intensified
The 43-year-old’s story has shaken the entire neighborhood which, in recent months, has recorded an increase in cases of harassment and aggression against women, as well as fights (some involving stabbings) between baby gangs. More than 200 women have organized themselves through the “Safe” chat on Whatsapp to support and protect each other: a sort of telephone assistance with real-time text messages, location sharing during the journey home, reports of dangerous or suspicious individuals to keep away from. In the meantime, controls have been intensified not only in the pedestrian area, the nightlife area where there are 36 commercial activities on a 175 meter road, but also in other poorly lit points or which become depopulated late in the evening due to the lower concentration of locals (crossing deserted alleys alone can be dangerous as recent episodes demonstrate). The police force, in uniform and in civilian clothes, has been doubled and a summit was recently held in the Prefecture, which was also attended by the president of the V Municipality, Mauro Caliste, to address the problems of Pigneto.