A ruling against a 17-year-old student in one of the schools in Rome against the school's caretaker has provoked widespread criticism online.
According to the indictment, in April of last year the student was going up the stairs when she felt a hand touching her. When she turned around in panic, she noticed to her astonishment the 66-year-old school caretaker. "My dear, you know I did it jokingly," he told her.
The student did not agree to accept the harassment as a joke and filed a police complaint against him. The prosecution in Rome asked for a sentence of 3.5 years in prison, and the suspect himself admitted in his interrogation that "I did touch the student without her consent."
According to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, the harassment lasted between 5-10 seconds. The court's ruling left many in Italy shocked after the judge ruled that "sexual harassment or illicit touching that lasts less than ten seconds does not constitute a crime," and acquitted the suspect.
Many users in Italy harshly criticized the judge and started filming ten-second TikTok videos to demonstrate how much time is involved when it comes to sexual harassment. The student involved commented on the verdict and told Corriere della Sera that "I hope the prosecution will appeal the verdict. The judge's decision made me feel extremely angry and betrayed by the justice system."