He is accused by eleven postgraduates from the course he taught during the 2019-2020 academic year.
A head doctor at the San Matteo Polyclinic in Pavia is under investigation on suspicion of the crime of
sexual violence aggravated by abuse of authority
. A story that is causing discussion in university and healthcare environments, which have always been places of excellence in Pavia culture.
The case could end up before a judge, even if the person concerned strongly denies the accusations made against him. The investigation was triggered following the reports that the young people made by responding to anonymous questionnaires in 2021 on the course they were following. Given the answers, it was the university that interested the Prosecutor's Office.
The police carried out the investigations. In particular, the postgraduates reported "unseemly behavior" that the head physician allegedly engaged in during some hours of teaching. The questionnaires refer to physical harassment and disrespectful attitudes on the part of the teacher, with the assumption of "unnatural" physical positions. Behaviors described in the responses to the questionnaires, and then also confirmed in the testimonies collected by the military.
The prosecutor's office served the doctor with the notice of closure of the investigation. A disciplinary proceeding initiated by the University (at the time of the events the head physician was director of the specialty school, a role from which he later resigned) ended with its dismissal.
The University did not recognize the grounds for initiating disciplinary action. But he still decided to send the entire report on the facts to the prosecutor's office. The head doctor defends himself, maintaining that the accusations made against him by the eleven interns are unfounded. It is not excluded that his lawyers decide to ask for the doctor's interrogation so that he can clarify his position. Or that they decide to produce a defense statement.
According to the defenders, it is not likely that the alleged sexual harassment occurred in front of at least 20 people normally present at the lessons. After having collected the elements necessary to clarify the still controversial points of the matter, the prosecutor's office will have to decide whether to request the dismissal or the indictment of the head physician.