A ‘well-known photographer’ locked himself in the room of an anorexic woman in an Italian hospital and raped her before attempting to attack a second victim.
The 36-year-old man, described by local media as a “well-known Afghan photographer”, attacked the two women at Turin’s Molinette hospital on May 23.
He reportedly went to the emergency room with his girlfriend showing signs of anxiety and a panic attack.
The man, a refugee from Afghanistan, was quickly admitted and transferred to the hospital’s psychiatric department, to a wing reserved for people with eating disorders or mild mental illnesses, local media reported.
Since there was no free bed in the room, they placed him in a temporary one in the hallway.
The lights dimmed at 9 p.m. and the man took the opportunity to sneak into the room of a 35-year-old anorexic woman.
He allegedly closed the door, blocked the entrance with a closet and removed the alarm bell from the wall before attacking the woman and raping her.
The woman tried to scream during the attack, but the man covered her mouth.
The 36-year-old man, described by local media as a “well-known Afghan photographer”, attacked the two women at the Molinette hospital (entrance pictured) in Turin, Italy, on May 23.
He then fled to another woman’s room and locked the door, but the 66-year-old man managed to scare away the alleged attacker before he could attack her.
She screamed for help at the same time the first woman reactivated the alarm, alerting hospital staff.
The prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into the Afghan.
The hospital’s security measures are also being investigated after staff allegedly failed to prevent the attack.
A psychiatric evaluation of the man established that, while he is “socially dangerous,” he is unable to understand his actions. The Corriere information.
“Experts provide a series of hypotheses, from schizophrenia to bipolarism, including an acute episode related to the use of cannabinoids,” said the man’s lawyer, Elena Negri.
‘In essence, there is no clear diagnosis. Our requests to investigate further, also obtaining the defendant’s current medical history, were rejected.’
Negri had requested an investigation of the hospital and “those who did not intervene that night or who intervened inappropriately.”
The hospital’s security measures are being investigated after staff allegedly failed to prevent the attack.
The man is due to be tried in January.
Meanwhile, he was transferred from the hospital to a Residence for the Execution of Security Measures (REMS), where mental health patients who committed crimes are held.
The Afghan was recently allowed to participate in a photography exhibition.