Palermo man jailed for 18 months for rape, now acquitted and released

Last Updated: March 17, 2024

A young man from Gambia, B.M., was accused of sexual violence against his ex-girlfriend and spent a year and a half in prison before being acquitted and released. However, he was sentenced to seven months for causing injuries to the woman during a fight caused by jealousy. The events took place on January 5, 2022 when the man found out about his girlfriend’s affair with another person and confronted her, resulting in a physical altercation. The woman initially accused him of the assault, but later retracted her statement and also claimed that she had been forced to have sex with him twice. The man was placed in pre-trial detention despite no prior complaints against him. During the trial, the woman’s inconsistencies led the judges to not find her credible.