Palermo group violence: La Grassa’s release request rejected

Last Updated: September 5, 2023

The Court of Review in Palermo has rejected the request for the release of Samuele La Grassa, one of the seven boys accused of raping a nineteen-year-old girl on July 7th in an abandoned construction site in Palermo. The victim reported the abuse. La Grassa, who has also been ordered to pay the legal fees, argued that he did not participate in the violence and remained on the sidelines while the group raped the girl. So far, the Court of Review has rejected the release requests of five out of the seven suspects. In two days, a hearing will be held to decide on the release request of Elio Arnao. However, the investigating judge had released the only underage suspect, who was then arrested again for posting comments and videos claiming responsibility for the act. There is also a chat conversation where he admitted with a friend that the girl did not give consent. In addition to the victim’s report against the seven suspects, there is also a video filmed by the oldest member of the group during the abuse.