Turin police arrest 20-year-old suspect following sexual assault of child in park

Investigation and arrest

Police in Turin executed a detention order against a 20-year-old Italian man of Egyptian origin on Monday evening, arresting him on suspicion of aggravated sexual assault against a 12-year-old boy. The order was issued by public prosecutor Eleonora Guerra and carried out by investigators from the Turin Flying Squad, led by Davide Corazzini, alongside officers from the Barriera Nizza police station. Officers stopped the suspect while he was riding an electric scooter along a street in the Barriera Nizza district. According to authorities, the man, who was born in 2006 and had prior records for property offences, subsequently confessed under interrogation to forcing the child to engage in sexual acts against his will. The case remains under the coordination of the Turin prosecutor's office headed by chief prosecutor Giovanni Bombardieri, with the detention order subject to formal validation by a judge for preliminary investigations.

Details of the incident

The assault took place on Friday, 18 September 2026, after the suspect approached the 12-year-old boy in the courtyard of the public housing complex where the child lives. The man persuaded the boy to join him with the promise of a ride on a new electric scooter, transporting him approximately 1.5 kilometres away to an isolated section of Parco dell'Arrivore in northern Turin. Following the assault in the park, the suspect took the child to a minimarket on Strada Settimo, where he purchased two bags of potato chips and two cans of Monster energy drink, instructing the child to keep the incident secret from his parents. The man fled on his scooter when several of the boy's friends appeared outside the shop. The child returned home in distress and recounted the event to his mother, who alerted law enforcement. Officers subsequently identified the suspect by analysing surveillance camera footage from around Via Botticelli and inside the minimarket.

Political reaction and security funding

The incident led to political demonstrations, including a gathering organized by the Brothers of Italy party along Strada dell'Arrivore. Lawmakers attending the protest demanded increased administrative attention and swifter interventions in vulnerable urban districts.

This case must be considered a priority, because this concerns a minor, meaning a person whose protection of rights is delegated to others.

Regional officials also addressed safety funding between regional authorities and the Turin municipality. Vice President of the Piedmont Region Maurizio Marrone pointed to disputes surrounding municipal policing funds.

Under the urban security pact, the Piedmont Region offered the City of Turin 1,300,000 euros to pay overtime for local police, targeted at patrolling public transport and green areas at risk of crime. We were told that 100,000 euros was sufficient, but when we requested the spending plan, no response had yet been provided.

Context of youth safety in the city

The arrest follows another reported assault against a minor on the outskirts of Turin in recent weeks. On 28 August 2026, a 13-year-old girl was assaulted inside a minimarket in the Borgo Vittoria neighbourhood by a 42-year-old shop clerk. In that preceding case, the suspect was initially released shortly after his arrest after a preliminary investigations judge determined that he showed remorse. That release order was subsequently overturned on appeal by the Turin Review Court following a challenge by prosecutors, returning the clerk to custody.