Rome, Dec. 6 (LaPresse) – Carabinieri from the Cesenatico company, in the province of Forlì-Cesena, have arrested a 26-year-old Gambian national, considered the alleged perpetrator of aggravated sexual assault and personal injury. The incident occurred late on the morning of December 5, when along a pedestrian and cycling path in the outskirts of San Mauro Pascoli, a woman jogging in an isolated area was attacked by a man who had been hiding in the vegetation. He immobilized her and dragged her to a secluded area where, despite her strong resistance, he assaulted her. The woman was assisted by the carabinieri and medical personnel who arrived promptly and was taken to the Bufalini Hospital in Cesena, receiving treatment and several days of prognosis. The investigation—immediately launched by the operations center of the Cesenatico Carabinieri, contacted by the victim who was in shock after the man fled—was carried out thanks to a precise description of the attacker, who also had a hand injury caused by the woman while trying to defend herself.
Searches, involving numerous carabinieri patrols and support from a helicopter of the Forlì Carabinieri unit, focused on the surrounding rural areas and quickly led to the arrest of the alleged perpetrator inside a shed about one kilometer from the crime scene. The man, also suspected of previous groping against another woman who later reported the incident to the local Carabinieri station, was arrested and, by order of the Deputy Public Prosecutor of Forlì, taken to the local prison pending a validation hearing.