A 21 year old exchange student recounts a violent assault in one of the city’s most iconic parks as police search for the suspect
A 21 year old British student studying at La Sapienza University was violently attacked Monday evening in Villa Borghese in what investigators are treating as an attempted rape. The suspect fled after a taxi driver intervened. He remains at large.
Anne, originally from London and currently enrolled in Literature and Philosophy, has not left her apartment since the assault. When she spoke to Italian daily Il Messaggero, she described feeling safe only inside her home.
“My apartment is the only place where I feel safe after what I went through. It was horrific. I thought I was going to die there,” she said.
The attack on Viale Washington
According to her account, the assault took place around 8:30 pm as she was walking home along Viale Washington, a road she regularly used without incident.
She noticed a man behind her. At first she did not feel alarmed. Then he got closer.
“I turned around and saw this man practically right up against me,” she said. She crossed the road and quickened her pace. He followed. Moments later, he grabbed her from behind.
She says he dragged her behind a hedge, punched her repeatedly, and attempted to remove her clothes. She screamed. He covered her mouth and pressed her head to the ground.
“He was aggressive, like a fury I couldn’t calm down,” she told reporters. “When he got to my trousers I thought it was over.”
The assault was interrupted by the headlights of a taxi entering the area. The driver, hearing her screams, steered toward the sound. The attacker fled immediately.
“If it hadn’t been for him, I would have been yet another rape victim,” Anne said. “He stayed with me, turned away other fares, and called for help. He was an angel.”
Emergency response and investigation
Carabinieri officers from the Roma Flaminia station arrived at around 9:30 pm. Anne was taken in red code to Policlinico Umberto I, where the Rosa Protocol, the dedicated medical procedure for victims of sexual violence, was activated.
Her clothing was seized for forensic examination. Investigators are now reviewing surveillance footage from cameras in and around the park.
She described the attacker as a man between 30 and 40 years old, of medium height and build, with Asian features and dark skin. It was dark and she could not see his face clearly. She told police he appeared sober and said almost nothing during the attack, except to murmur “no, no” while covering her mouth.
He did not attempt to steal her belongings. Her phone, keys, and money were in her coat pocket, untouched.
“It was clear he didn’t want to rob me. He only wanted to abuse me,” she said.
Based on her description, investigators have created an identikit and are cross checking it with CCTV footage. No arrests have been made so far.
Safety concerns in Rome’s green spaces
The incident has reignited debate about safety in Villa Borghese, one of Rome’s most visited parks and a landmark destination for both residents and tourists. While generally considered safe during the day, parts of the park, particularly less illuminated areas, have been the site of sporadic assaults and petty crime over the years.
The section near Viale Washington where the attack occurred is reportedly among the least well lit areas of the park after dark.
For Anne, who arrived in Rome five months ago and says she had always felt secure in the city, the psychological impact has been profound.
“I come from London and I always moved around freely there. I thought I could do the same in Rome,” she said. “Now I don’t know if I’ll recover.”
Her parents are reportedly cutting short a trip abroad to be with her, while her flatmate remains at home to ensure she is not alone.
As the search for the suspect continues, the case has become a stark reminder that even in the heart of Rome, in one of its most iconic public spaces, safety cannot be taken for granted.
Ph: Tasou TV / Shutterstock.com
