An alleged episode of sexual violence has stopped the departure of the ship Grimaldi which connects Palermo with Cagliari .
The Europa Palace boat, which should have set sail for Sardinia this morning at 9, left the port of the Sicilian capital only at 5.
The Mobile agents and the Scientific Police got on board to reconstruct what happened.
Investigators want to shed light on the complaint of a 30-year-old woman, who reports having suffered sexual violence on the same ferry yesterday while the boat was traveling from Cagliari to Palermo .
A story with very dark outlines, the investigators have not found any feedback at the moment. The woman, a 30-year-old passenger, said she called her ex-boyfriend after being raped by a crew member . Then he repeated the story to the boat receptionists. Once she arrived at her destination, she reported the episode to the police and was taken to the emergency room for the visits required by protocol. Doctors found no signs of violence, nor are there any traces of her calling friends or ex-boyfriends to report the alleged abuse .
Then the inspection by the police took place, which suspended the journey for hours and started the investigations, while the specialists of the forensics collected elements on the basis of the passenger's story throughout the morning .
The only thing ascertained at the moment is that the alleged victim was under the influence of drugs . He would also have changed his version, at first he spoke of harassment, which later became a sexual assault.
The woman accuses a seafarer who actually entered her cabin: " Just to give her some towels ," the man told the police.
«All the crew - reads a note from Grimaldi - promptly placed themselves at the disposal of the competent authorities right from the start of the investigations and inspections on board, which lasted until the early afternoon with the ship stationary in the port of Sicilian capital. In the meantime, while waiting for the ship to set sail for Cagliari, the Group offered full assistance to passengers departing from Palermo, including a free cabin upgrade for those traveling on deck». The Grimaldi Group "expresses solidarity with the passenger and remains at the full disposal of the judicial and police authorities - concludes the note - to shed light on what happened".
(Unioneonline/LD)
