An Italian janitor has been cleared of groping a high school girl after a judge determined that the janitor had only touched her for a "few seconds" and did not have "libidinous or lusty intent."
The incident took place at a high school in Rome last year and lasted around "five to 10 seconds," according to the ruling.
Court documents cite the high school girl as saying the janitor came up behind her, put his hand in her underwear and slightly lifted her in the air as she pulled up her trousers after walking up a staircase with a friend.
The janitor, 66, said he reached for the back of the girl's trousers, holding her up for a few seconds, "as a joke."
Afterward, he reportedly pleaded with the girl to let it pass, telling her, "You will ruin my life, I didn't do anything to you."
A panel of judges concluded on July 6 that the contact was so brief that it left "ample doubts" on whether it was voluntary, and found the argument that it was in jest "convincing."
The girl's lawyer, Andrea Buitoni, told the Fanpage news site they would be appealing the decision.
"This is not the way an old man jokes with a 17-year-old girl. At least that's what I think," the girl was quoted as saying by the Corriere della Sera newspaper, which said she has just turned 18.
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"The janitor took me from behind without saying anything. Then he put his hands down my pants and in my panties. He groped my butt," the teen said. "Then he pulled me up so much that my private parts hurt. This, at least for me, is not a joke."
The judge’s ruling has ignited outrage in Italy. Thousands of social media users have posted videos of themselves touching their intimate body parts. The videos include a timer, counting down 10 seconds and include the hashtags "#10seconds" or "#quickgrope."
The online campaign was started earlier this week by actor and comedian Paolo Camilli, who stars in The While Lotus TV series, and says, fondling his chest in front of the camera: "if this is not harassment, what is?"
Reuters contributed to this report.
