Prato – A shocking criminal case is currently occupying the public prosecutor's office and the Carabinieri in the Tuscan city of Prato. On the night of December 19, a 59-year-old Italian businessman, who is already known to the police, was arrested. He is accused of drugging a 24-year-old employee on December 15 on the premises of his company and then sexually abusing her.
The trap of overtime meals
According to investigators' reconstruction, the events took their course last Monday. The employer allegedly persuaded the young woman to stay at work for a few hours after the official end of the working day. Around noon, he offered her a meal together—a soup ordered to go. According to the victim's statement, the man dissolved a powdery substance, presumably benzodiazepines, into the soup.
Shortly after eating, the young woman lost consciousness. She later reported that she only came to hours later—not at the dining table, but in a motorhome. What was particularly disturbing for the woman was that she was wearing different clothes than she had at the start of her working day. Despite her disorientation, she immediately went to the hospital to be examined.
Evidence from video footage and blood samples
Although initial clinical examinations revealed no immediate physical injuries such as lacerations or external wounds caused by violent defense, laboratory results confirmed the 24-year-old's suspicions. Traces of benzodiazepines, a group of active ingredients often used as knockout drops, were found in her blood.
However, it was technology that provided the decisive evidence: investigators determined that the alleged crime took place within the company and was recorded in its entirety by the existing surveillance cameras. Prato's chief prosecutor, Luca Tescaroli, praised the young woman's determination and emphasized how important it is to report crimes promptly in order to put a stop to perpetrators and guarantee immediate support for victims. The suspect is now in custody.
