Four more men aged 19 to 23 have been arrested over the gang-rape of two British girls at an Italian villa last month.
A total of eight young men have now been arrested after the teenagers were rushed to hospital following what a judge described as ‘serious and brutal violence’ in the town of Marconia di Pisticci.
The girls, who cannot be named, say they were subjected to an attack after going out to dance on the last night of their Italian holiday on September 7.
Four of their alleged attackers were thrown into Matera jail on Wednesday, where they join another four 19 to 23-year-olds accused of drugging, beating and raping the girls, Roman paper Il Messaggero reported.
Four people have been arrested in connection with the alleged gang rape. Above, police officers are pictured taking a youth in custody
Last month it was reported that one of the alleged attackers won the trust of the girls before taking advantage of them after they had drunk alcohol.
Italian media have reported that one of the young women told police she had felt ‘strange and very confused’ after drinking a gin and lemon drink she was given.
CCTV released by police shows one of the victims being pushed by a group of males towards a dark corner behind a villa at around midnight on Monday, followed by three males with the other victim.
One of the girls is reported to have claimed she was pushed towards a car were there were at least five people in a ‘poorly lit’ area – and she was then hit and taken advantage of.
‘I told them to stop. I was shouting in English let me go. They took off their trousers and I tried to defend myself by biting the penis of one,’ she reportedly said.
Police said the gang beat and raped the girls, who reported the attack at around 3.30am the next morning, September 8.
Italian newspaper La Repubblica quotes one of the girls: ‘I didn’t knowingly take any drugs but I think someone put something in my second drink because after I drank it I felt awful.’
She and her friend were then taken to close-by bushes in a field where they were raped, it is alleged.
‘A guy tried to record the whole scene with the phone, but I can’t tell if he managed to do it,’ one of the girls said, according to reports.
This frame grab made from video surveillance released by Italian police shows a group of people walking towards a dark corner of a garden of a villa
The four arrested last month were named as Michele Massiello, 23, Giuseppe Gargano, 19, Alessandro Zuccaro, 21, and Alberto Lopatiello, 22.
They were remanded in custody on suspicion of sexual violence and wounding, La Repubblica reported.
Italian media described the men, who live in the town and reportedly gate-crashed the villa bash, as ‘well-known bullies and thugs’.
The victims confirmed the identities of their alleged attackers after seeing their social media profiles.
In a statement, one of the teenagers recalled ordering a drink before being offered another by a stranger she met at the party, reports say.
Urine samples have confirmed both victims were drugged in the alleged assault.
The girls were meant to fly home to return to school in England on the day after the alleged incident in an upmarket villa, in a region that is one of Italy’s most popular tourist destinations.
Pictured: Suspect Giuseppe Gargano
The uncle of one of the victims went to the party after the attack where guests begged him not to call the police or it would ‘ruin the party’, the Sun reports.
Angelo Onorati, a Matera prosecutor, said last month’s arrests were ordered because of the ‘brutality, severity and savagery of the violence committed, in devious ways, that could be repeated against other women’.
Investigators said that the girls attended the party with another female guest, but soon after they arrived they were approached by two of the suspects.
Authorities are investigating reports that a group of uninvited boys then forced their way into the party and allegedly attacked the girls.
‘On the night between 7-8 September, in Marconia di Pisticci, sexual violence was committed against two foreign minors who were at a party in a villa,’ local police said in a statement on Thursday.
‘The investigative unit of Matera police headquarters has begun investigations in coordination with the public prosecutor’s office.’
The two girls were reportedly punched and kicked before being raped by more than one person during the party.
News website Sassilive said the alleged attack took place in the early hours of last Monday, when ‘the girls were attacked by a herd of eight boys behind a bush near the place where the party took place’.
The teenagers were able to make it back to their accommodation, where they told the female guest about what had happened.
Police were alerted and the two girls were then rushed to a hospital in Matera, around 40 miles away.
Pictured left: 22-year-old suspect Alberto Lopatriello. Right: 21-year-old suspect Alessandro Zuccaro
The small town of Marconia di Pisticci in southern Italy (pictured)
The pair were treated for shock and were found to have marks on their bodies before being discharged from hospital.
A lawyer for the girls, Giuseppe Rago, said the alleged violence committed against them was ‘unprecedented’.
‘They are girls with a strong character, they have been heartened by their families and are confident in the work of justice.
‘They hope to soon recover and forget what happened … we would never have thought that such wickedness could happen here,’ he told Adnkronos news agency.
The men involved deny the allegations.