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(Scroll down for video) People have expressed outrage after a judge freed a child rapist because the child was in love with the man.
Is it possible for a 60-year-old to be in a romantic relationship with an 11-year-old girl?
According a an Italian supreme court judge, it is possible and it is fine.
The pedophile has been convicted of raping the 11-year-old child, and was sentenced to five years in prison for sexual violence against a minor.
However, the conviction was recently overturned as the supreme court in the southern Italian town of Catanzaro, ruled that the 60-year-old was in a "real relationship" with the girl.
The girl is said to be from a disadvantaged background and had been placed in the custody of the 60-year-old man, who worked for the local social services department.
The man was found naked in bed with the victim when police raided the man’s villa.
The age of consent in Catanzaro is 14, and rises to 16 when one of the partners is in position of authority or is caring for the younger participant.
However, in this case, the judge ruled in favor of the man because the 11-year-old claimed that she was in love with the man