Two young individuals, an 18-year-old and a 12-year-old, have been placed under investigation by the Sulmona Prosecutor’s Office for the alleged aggravated sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl and the subsequent dissemination of the recorded abuse on WhatsApp groups. The incident occurred in the Abruzzo town of Sulmona, located in the Peligna Valley.
As reported by local media outlets Il Centro and Il Messaggero, the investigation was launched after the young victim confided in her parents. This led Carabinieri police to carry out searches at the homes of the two suspects, seizing tablets, mobile phones, computers, and other electronic devices believed to contain evidence of the crimes.
Authorities are working to verify the origin of the illicit visual material and identify all individuals who may have accessed it. According to the investigation, the victim was repeatedly assaulted in a private residence and threatened with the publication of videos filmed during the attacks. The suspects are alleged to have already shared some of this material in certain WhatsApp chats.
The investigation is ongoing and may be expanded to include charges against others who viewed or disseminated the videos. A case file for the charge of aggravated sexual violence has been opened at the local Juvenile Court and the Sulmona Prosecutor’s Office.