The alleged attacker of the woman raped in a Rome park has been arrested. The man, a 26-year-old Gambian citizen, confessed to the assault, claiming he was under the influence of narcotics, purchased a few minutes earlier in the Quarticciolo neighborhood. The police, using the victim's description and images from surveillance cameras along the street the man was traveling, were able to gather evidence leading to his identification. The man was recognized by the Carabinieri outside Termini station by his shoes and cap, the same ones he was wearing at the time of the rape. The victim also reportedly recognized him. The man is charged with sexual assault and robbery.
The attack – The victim was walking her dog in the park, like every morning, when a man approached her from behind: “If you try to scream, I’ll cut your throat.” It was with these words that the 61-year-old was threatened in the Tor Tre Teste park in Rome before being robbed and raped . “A nightmare that lasted ten minutes,” the victim recounted. It happened at dawn on Sunday, August 24, in the semi-deserted park, located on the eastern outskirts of the capital. Shortly after entering the green area from the entrance on Via degli Olmi, the woman was thrown to the ground by a man who first stole her phone and then raped her.
The attacker then fled on foot, disappearing without a trace. The victim managed to return home and, in shock, alerted her son. With the help of neighbors, they called the police, and the 61-year-old woman was taken by 118 paramedics to the Casilino Polyclinic, where the pink protocol for female victims of violence was activated.
The investigation – Investigations began immediately into the perpetrator described by the woman: a man in his thirties of North African origin. Biological traces were reportedly found on the woman's clothes. Investigators initially followed the route of the stolen cell phone using the GPS installed in the device, and the suspect allegedly took a bus from Quarticciolo to Termini station, where the phone was turned off. The video surveillance cameras around the station allegedly filmed him walking down the street, and the Carabinieri extracted a frame showing the alleged perpetrator wearing a black T-shirt, light-colored shorts, and a cap.
Reactions – The president of the V district, Mauro Caliste, intervened on the matter, expressing"closeness and solidarity" to the 61-year-old and underlining: "We have long been denouncing the fact that this area, like others in the quadrant, is too isolated and that without constant police surveillance it becomes a breeding ground for crime." "I hope that the person responsible will soon be identified and brought to justice. Everyone should be able to live in the neighborhoods without fear," added Caliste.
