An Italian courtroom's choice to clear a janitor who groped a schoolgirl as a result of he did it for "just a few seconds" has sparked outrage.

The lady, who was 17 on the time of the incident, mentioned the person approached her from behind, put his palms in her knickers and barely lifted her within the air as she pulled up her trousers after strolling up a staircase with a good friend.

A panel of judges mentioned of their ruling that the "whole thing last about five to 10 seconds" and was accomplished with out "libidinous or lusty intent".

The 66-year-old mentioned he reached for the again of the lady's trousers on the college within the Ostiense neighbourhood of Rome "as a joke".

Afterwards he pleaded with the lady to let it cross, telling her: "You will ruin my life, I didn't do anything to you."

In their verdict, dated 6 July, a panel of judges concluded that the inappropriate gesture was so transient that it left "ample doubts" on whether or not it was voluntary, and located the argument that it was in jest "convincing".

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Andrea Buitoni, a lawyer for the lady, instructed the Fanpage news web site that the choice would "definitely" be appealed.

"This is not the way an old man jokes with a 17-year-old girl. At least that's what I think," the lady was quoted as saying by the Corriere della Sera newspaper, which mentioned she has simply turned 18.

The verdict has triggered a web based protest, with hundreds of social media customers posting movies of themselves touching intimate physique elements with the hashtags #10seconds and #quickgrope.

Actor and comic Paolo Camilli - who stars in The White Lotus - is amongst these concerned within the on-line marketing campaign.

He posted a TikTok video of him fondling his chest for 10 seconds, and mentioned: "If this is not harassment, what is?"