Masturbating in public is no more a crime as Italy’s supreme court – ‘La Corte di Cassazione’ has ruled it out, even if it is done with a motive of being seen by others.
Recently, a 69-year-old man identified as Pietro L was caught masturbating in the Italian southern city of Catania. The accused was convicted for practicing ‘autoeroticism’ in front of students at the University of Catania campus in Italy.
According to ‘La Repubblica’ as quoted in ‘The Independent’, the Prefect of Catania and the court of appeal had decided that the accused was to serve 3-months in jail along with a fine of €3,420. But, the judges of the Italian supreme court said: “The act is not included in the law as a crime”. And so, the court agreed on eliminating the criminal charges for obscene acts in public.
Pietro L’s case will now again head back to the Prefect of Catania to be sentenced although La Corte di Cassazione have declared that the accused must be sanctioned with a reported fine said to be between €5,000 and €30,000, but the exact figure will be announced by the local court soon. The supreme court also reiterated that Pietro L’s sentence should be overturned without any more deliberation on the case.
