Five Italian teenagers, aged between 17 and 19 from the cities of Brindisi and Lecce, are under formal investigation for aggravated gang sexual violence. The probe follows a complaint filed by a 19-year-old woman at a provincial police station in Treviso. The woman alleges she was assaulted several weeks ago while on vacation in Malta.
According to the complainant, she met the group of young men from Italy’s Puglia region during her stay. After an evening spent with them at local establishments, she accepted an invitation to return to their apartment. It was there, she states, that the sexual assault occurred. The victim further alleges that the incident was recorded on the mobile phone of one of the suspects.
The five youths have denied the accusations. Law enforcement authorities have launched a forensic examination of the mobile devices belonging to the five suspects and the young woman to gather further evidence for the investigation.