Italy Toughens Penalties For Rape After Attacks

The decree approved by Italy`s cabinet sets a mandatory life sentence for rapes that result in death.

Italy's government rushed through a decree law on Friday toughening penalties for sex offenders and permitting neighbourhood citizen patrols after a spate of high-profile rapes by immigrants sparked national outrage.

Italy's government says data show the number of sexual assaults actually fell last year, but three rapes last weekend in Rome, Milan and Bologna triggered a media frenzy that prompted calls for tougher measures.

The decree approved by Italy's cabinet sets a mandatory life sentence for rapes that result in death, speeds up trials for sex offenders caught in the act, takes away the possibility of house arrest, and gives free legal assistance to victims.

The decree also introduces mandatory life sentences for rapes of minors. It goes into effect immediately but must be approved by both houses of parliament within 60 days. It also establishes rules for citizen street patrols by unarmed and unpaid volunteers. The move came after groups of self-styled and unregulated vigilantes began patrolling some towns, alarming law enforcement officials.

"This is what was needed. I have to wake up at five in the morning to accompany my daughter to the train station because the streets are not safe," a resident of Guidonia, a town east of Rome with a large immigrant population, told Italian television.

Mayors will be able to approve citizen patrols, with priority given to membership or leadership roles by retired police and military on leave.

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi earlier said the number of sexual assaults fell 10 percent last year compared to 2006 and 2007, which he said showed the government's efforts to improve security were working.

But many Italians are unconvinced, with recent rapes grabbing headlines in newspapers and television, often playing up the role of foreigners as perpetrators.

Some lawmakers have also reopened the debate over whether chemical castration of sex offenders should be instituted.

"There's a rape every 12 hours, every 24 hours, and it's time to end this," another resident of Guidonia, where a group of Romanians last month raped a woman and beat her boyfriend, told Italian television.