Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

CRIME

Five Star founder Beppe Grillo’s son investigated in gang rape case

The son of the comedian and activist Beppe Grillo has been accused of raping a 19-year-old Scandinavian woman at his father's villa.

Published: 6 September 2019 13:30 CEST
Five Star founder Beppe Grillo’s son investigated in gang rape case
The rape allegedly took place at the family's villa in Sardinia. Photo: Depositphotos

The son of Italian stand-up comedian and Eurosceptic political campaigner Beppe Grillo, who founded the Five Star Movement (M5S) political party, is being investigated along with three friends for gang rape, Italian media reported on Friday.

Ciro Grillo, 19, and three friends are accused of raping a 19-year-old woman, described as a “Scandinavian model”, at his father's summer villa in Sardinia’s Costa Smerelda after night out in a disco, La Stampa reported.

The four men, reportedly “the children of Genoan entrepreneurs, doctors and professionals”, insist the sexual relations were consensual, the report said, adding that a video of the incident found on one of their phones was not considered as conclusive evidence.

The M5S is part of Italy's governing coalition and the rape investigation coincides with a return to front-line politics for Beppe Grillo after pushing for the party he founded to join forces with the centre-left.

Five Star Movement founder Beppe Grillo. Photo: AFP

The party was born on Genoa-born founder Beppe Grillo's personal blog, but ahead of elections in 2018 the comedian formally separated his personal site from the party and its backers.

Beppe Grillo has also become notorious in Italy for his controversial statements and blog posts, including one reportedly mocking warnings that Genoa's Morandi bridge could collapse.

READ ALSO: What you need to know about Italy's Five Star Movement

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

CRIME

REVEALED: Where in Italy you’re most likely to be a victim of crime

From theft and home burglary to cyber fraud and extortion, the latest figures reveal where in Italy you are most likely to fall victim to crime and the most common types of offences in major cities around the country.

Published: 17 September 2024 11:15 CEST
REVEALED: Where in Italy you're most likely to be a victim of crime

While Italy is among the safest countries in the world – it ranked 33rd out of 163 in the latest Global Peace Index report, right above the UK – crime is still a concern, especially in metropolitan cities and tourist hotspots.

According to the annual crime report from newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore, which collated the most recent data from Italy’s Department of Public Security, Milan was the Italian city with the highest crime rate in 2023.

Overall, some 230,394 crimes were reported in the northern metropolis last year, which corresponded to 7,094 offences for every 100,000 residents.

Milan was followed by Italy’s capital, Rome, with 6,071 reported crimes for every 100,000 residents (up by nearly 600 compared to 2022) and Florence, with 6,053.

The top ten was completed by Rimini (6,002 reports for every 100,000 residents), Turin (5,685), Bologna (5,539), Prato (4,887), Imperia (4,838), Venice (4,825) and Livorno (4,743).

At the other end of the spectrum, Oristano, Sardinia, was the Italian city with the lowest crime rate in 2023 as it ‘only’ saw 1,511 offences for every 100,000 residents. 

Oristano was followed by Potenza, Basilicata (1,934) and Treviso, Veneto (2,258).

Single-offence rankings

While the overall crime rate ranking provides a picture of Italy’s major crime hotspots, it doesn’t allow for any insight into the types of offences committed locally, which is why it is worth looking into single-offence rankings. 

Milan, Rome and Rimini (a popular seaside resort on Emilia Romagna’s Adriatic coast) were the Italian cities with the highest theft rates in 2023, with the northern city registering nearly 3,900 reported thefts (furti) for every 100,000 residents and the capital stopping just shy of the 3,500 mark.

Milan was also Italy’s least-safe city when it came to petty theft and pickpocketing, with over 900 such offences reported for every 100,000 residents.

READ ALSO: How bad is pickpocketing in Italy’s major cities?

Florence was the Italian city with the highest robbery rate (rapine), with 136 offences for every 100,000 residents. 

The Tuscan city was followed by Milan (128) and Prato (124).

Outside of big cities and popular tourist destinations, a number of smaller and, perhaps, slightly unassuming Italian cities had their own crime ‘specialisations’ in 2023. 

For instance, Ragusa, Sicily, ranked first in vehicle theft, while Pisa, Tuscany, came in first in reported home burglary offences.

Trieste, Friuli Venezia Giulia, had the highest sexual assault rate (24 reports for every 100,000 residents) in the country, whereas Crotone ranked first for attempted murder.

READ ALSO: The 8 red flags to look out for to avoid rental scams in Italy

Turin came in first for cyber fraud and online scams, while Isernia, Molise, was Italy’s extortion capital. 

National picture

At a national level, reported crimes were up by 3.8 percent compared to 2022, with online fraud and robbery registering 10.3- and 9.5-percent increases respectively. 

Assault offences also registered a 3.1-percent year-on-year increase, while there were 341 murders in 2023 – up by 13 against 2019. 

According to Marco Dugato, a researcher at the Crime Observatory of Milan’s Cattolica University, the latest increases “must be monitored, particularly for certain types of crime”.

In particular, “the rise of more impulsive, less planned, but more aggressive forms of criminal activity” such as assault and robbery “is of concern”. 

SHOW COMMENTS