Italian policemen accused of raping US students

Italian police officers are under investigation for the alleged rape of two US students in Florence, media said Friday .

The women, aged 19 and 21 , were in a nightclub on Wednesday night when a fight broke out and the owner called the police . Six officers arrived , with four leaving shortly afterward when calm was restored, the reports said.

The two who stayed on struck up a conversation with the Americans , who were visibly drunk, and offered them a lift home when they failed to find a taxi .

The women claim they were attacked by the officers once they arrived home in the early hours of Thursday , with one raped in the courtyard and the other in the house .

The four are captured on video surveillance footage in the car . Neighbours heard no cries for help , the reports said.

The women were examined by hospital doctors , who noted one was still drunk and both were highly distressed , according to La Repubblica daily .
There were no external signs of sexual violence, it said.

Each year , the Tuscan city hosts thousands of US students at some forty universities and countless language schools.

AFP