- The woman was raped in the emergency room of the Vizzolo Predabissi hospital, near Milan
A woman was raped while lying on a stretcher in an emergency room in Italy and committed suicide by jumping from a hospital window.
The 22-year-old said she was awaiting treatment at the Vizzolo Predabissi hospital near Milan when she was raped on the night of May 27-28, local media report.
She told the nurses, who quickly called the police, around 4am: “Help, I was raped,” according to an Italian newspaper. Corriere della Serra.
The suspect, a 28-year-old warehouse worker, was arrested a few hours later while sleeping on a gurney in the emergency room.
At around 8:30 pm on May 28, the rape victim allegedly jumped from a window on the fourth floor of the hospital. Despite doctors’ attempts to save her life, she was pronounced dead at the scene.
The 22-year-old said she was awaiting treatment at Vizzolo Predabissi hospital (pictured) near Milan when she was raped on the night of May 27-28, local media report.
The suspect denied the rape allegation and told a local court that the sexual encounter had been consensual.
He said he “didn’t force anyone” and they chatted and shared a cigarette before they started kissing.
He didn’t remember how he got to the hospital and told investigators he had drunk a lot of alcohol with some friends and smoked some joints, according to local reports.
The 28-year-old was reportedly drunk on a bench when his worried friends called an ambulance.
He is said to have met the 22-year-old victim for the first time when he arrived at the hospital, where he was reportedly placed on a stretcher near her.
The local prosecutor has ordered an autopsy on the woman’s body, while investigators review CCTV footage from the emergency room to find out what exactly happened.
The suspect reportedly remains in protective custody in prison.
A spokesperson for Vizzolo Predabissi said in a statement: “The entire hospital is still in shock.”