There have been some odd child abuse cases in the news of late, but none quite so odd as the decision made by an Italian appellate court.
The case of Austin Clem in America’s Deep South is still a talking point in the US media. Aged 18, Clem had sexual relations with a girl of 13. If that is sufficient to brand him a paedophile, what should we call a man of 60 who has sex with a girl of 11 – yes ELEVEN? How does the word free grab you? The case of Pietro Lamberti has been fairly widely reported; the reports have a certain consistency, and there is no arguing with the verdict. In view of recent Vatican scandals, it should surprise no one that this happened in Italy. The court appears to have taken the view that because the girl was “in love” with the man – a social worker – that the conviction is unsafe. The fact that he was (hopefully past tense) a social worker should compound the felony, but not apparently in the Eternal City.
The only good thing about this bizarre judgment – which is not clear from most reports – is that a retrial has been ordered. The age of consent in Italy is fourteen, which most reasonable people would agree is too young.
Fortunately, they do things slightly differently in the UK, as a man of 43 with a taste for underage boys discovered, although in view of his antecedents, one might ask if a sentence of 12 months is not unduly lenient. Carl Fisher is said to have picked up a boy in the park to “have some fun with”.
Fortunately, he boasted about this to a man who does not share his disgusting sexual proclivities, and after this individual contacted the police, Fisher was found to have the image of a naked underage boy he had sent him and around another three hundred on his phone.
In 2000, he was given two years for two indecent assaults on underage boys and an offence of buggery – acts that would apparently be legal in Italy in this case. In 2009, he was in court for another offence of sexual assault on a male.
Clearly this makes him a dedicated sexual predator, so one would have expected a lengthier sentence. However, he was also given a Sexual Offences Prevention Order. This means that if he blots his copybook yet again he will face a heavier sentence; hopefully there will not be a next time.
[The above article was published by Digital Journal on January 3, 2014; the original was not archived.]
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