A slap so violent it ruptured her eardrum. The assault took place last summer on the beach, during a chance encounter with her ex-boyfriend. The 20-year-old woman from Rimini needed treatment at the emergency room.
The young man, a 23-year-old Tunisian national, has been sentenced to two years and five months for stalking and robbery. The trial, held under the fast-track procedure (rito abbreviato), took place on Friday before a judge at the Rimini Court.
During the attack on the beach, the young man had also threatened the woman to force her to hand over her unlocked phone, intending to check whether she had other relationships. He then walked off with the smartphone.
Among the photos, he found intimate images of the woman with a previous boyfriend. He sent them to the family group chat and to her relatives, accompanied by insults.
Their relationship had begun in November 2025 and lasted four months. According to the prosecution’s reconstruction, even during the relationship the young man’s behaviour was marked by obsessive jealousy.
In March 2026, he had trapped her inside her own car, threatening her, plunging a knife into the dashboard and spraying pepper spray in her face. The woman managed to escape and decided to end the relationship.
From that point on, threatening messages and selfies taken by the 23-year-old outside her home began arriving. The young woman reported him to police, and for a time the intimidation stopped.
The man later sought her out again, declaring his love and saying he wanted to marry her. She believed him and withdrew her complaint.
After the beach incident, there was another assault: the 23-year-old approached her while she was sitting in her parked car, got inside and slapped her again. Fearful of running into him, the young woman began asking her father to accompany her everywhere.
The new complaint triggered the “red code” fast-track protocol for gender-based violence cases. During the trial, the public prosecutor had requested a sentence of five years and four months. In addition to the conviction, the judge ordered compensation of 10,000 euros to the young woman, who joined the proceedings as a civil plaintiff represented by lawyer Francesca Romana Dotti.
