A 25-year-old Tunisian migrant charged with sexually assaulting two teenage girls in the center of the northern Italian coastal city of Oneglia in December 2022 remained free until his trial began this week. However, when he was supposed to stand trial, authorities declared him untraceable and ordered police to locate him.
The defendant, described in court records and local reporting as homeless, faces charges of sexual violence aggravated by the age of one minor victim and of harassment or disturbance of multiple victims. The case was heard by Massimiliano Botti at the Tribunal of Imperia on Nov. 4. The defendant, represented by attorney Katia La Corte, did not show up to his court date and the court was informed that he has been missing since 2024, according to Italian newspaper Imperia Post.
Prosecutors say during the incident, the man approached two girls then aged 15 and 18 in central Oneglia. He allegedly lifted the younger girl’s dress and touched her bare thighs, then groped the 18-year-old’s breasts and stomach despite her screaming in protest.
In separate incidents around Piazza Dante, Via Vieusseux and Via Bonfante, he is also accused of exposing his penis to two girls in one case and an18-year-old in the other.
Despite the string of sexual assaults, authorities did not issue any preventative detention measures against the man which could have prevented him from disappearing. While the court has ordered to police to find the man, his foreign and homeless status make location extremely difficult.
