Three African youths were
convicted Thursday of raping a Polish tourist on a Rimini beach
after brutally beating her partner and then raping a Peruvian
woman a little later on August 26 in the Romagna resort in a
case that shocked the nation.
The three minors - two Moroccan brothers aged 15 and 17, and
a 16-year-old Nigerian - were sentenced to nine years and eight
months in jail after being found guilty on all nine charges.
The three were found to be the accomplices of a 20-year-old
Congolese man deemed the ringleader of the gang, Guerlin
Butungu.
Butungu has already been found guilty and sentenced to 16
years in jail.
The defence attorney of the Nigerian said "the sentence is
too high".
The lawyer representing the Polish couple attacked said "the
sentence is severe but fair".
The polish couple sent a letter to the court saying they had
endured seemingly "endless fear" on the night of the attack.
The young woman who was raped said she still had trouble
sleeping and suffered panic attacks.
Her boyfriend said "I'm scared of the dark, the beach, the
sea, and people who speak a foreign language".
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
