The principal of a school in Grammichele, Catania, was arrested on sexual assault and attempted sexual assault accusations against seven minor students. The inquiry commenced in May, when a 15-year-old victim filed a complaint alleging that the 61-year-old man subjected her to abuse during repeated summonses to the bureau. The complaint detailed affectionate epithets, hugs, and "likes" on selected photos she posted on Instagram, which resembled courtship-like attentions. The young woman made the final decision to file a complaint after the headmaster, after calling her to his office and closing the door, allegedly asked her for "kisses" and also proposed to give her "bites," then kissed her on the neck, failing on the mouth only due to the girl's resistance. What the adolescent said prompted an immediate inquiry, which allowed investigators to piece together a larger picture in which other underage students would have faced similar treatment as the complainant. In fact, the Carabinieri listened to six girls with the assistance of a psychology expert, each of whom recounted harassment by the principal, who summoned the students to his office, creating an intimate situation with the minors under the guise of discussing their academic performance. When they were alone, he would threaten to "spank" or "bite" them if they failed to study, while attempting to engage them through embraces, touches on the bottom, and caresses on erogenous areas such as the hips or bare stomachs. Furthermore, the man allegedly rubbed the minor's hand on her private parts during an embrace and placed his fingers on the student's lips after kissing them himself on two occasions.
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