In a narrow street behind the Piazza Garibaldi in the vicinity of the Napoli Centrale railway station, a Nigerian attempted to rape a woman. The migrant was also busy groping her as he dragged her off, but police was alerted by her screaming, Il Giornale reported.
The 41-year-old – later identified as Stephen Pope – let go of his victim when he spotted law enforcement and attempted to escape. But his path was quickly blocked by a mob of Italians who had also rushed to the scene when they heard the screams of the woman.
The mob attacked the asylum seeker and he was eventually only saved by police officers who were able to arrest him following a brief chase. He has been charged with committing sexual violence.
Pope arrived in Lampedusa in 2008 illegally but has repeatedly requested protection since then.
Pope’s arrest is the latest in a series of sex attacks by a migrants in Italy. Two Moroccan migrants were arrested in connection with the gang rape of a 16-year-old Italian girl who was also lured into a small street and attacked by the three men at the end of last year.
The assault took place in Avezzano, a city near Rome. The three Moroccans lured the girl into a dark passage, undressed her and sexually assaulted and raped her, Il Giornale reported.
The gang rape comes shortly after another rape case that made headlines in Italy in which a 25-year-old Senegalese migrant was accused of raping a 15-year-old Italian girl on a beach in Jesolo near Venice. Rapist Mohamed Gueye was already well-known to police.
The series of sexual assaults followed after the rape of a young boy in Brindisi by two Pakistani migrants who also dragged off their victim into a nearby small street in February last year.