A JUDGE sparked national outcry in Italy after acquitting a school caretaker of sexually assaulting a pupil because it "lasted less than ten seconds".

       Antonio Avola, 66, put his hand down the trousers of a 17-year-old girl before touching her buttocks and pulling on her underwear.

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       White Lotus actor Paolo Camilli hit out at the ruling on social media Credit: PAOLO CAMILLI/INSTAGRAM 2

       Outraged Italians have been posting videos online in protest Credit: Instagram

       The teen was walking up a staircase at a school in Rome with a friend.

       But after she turned around in horror, Avola told her: "Love, you know I was joking."

       The youngster reported the caretaker to police in April 2022.

       He admitted to touching the girl without her consent - but insisted it was a "joke".

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       Italian prosecutors demanded Avola be handed a three-and-a-half-year sentence for sexual assault.

       But this week a judge acquitted the caretaker after ruling a grope lasting under ten seconds "does not constitute a crime".

       The judge added Avola had performed an "awkward manoeuvre without lust".

       The teen blasted the judge's decision, saying it "is not justice".

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       She told the Corriere della Sera newspaper: "The judges ruled that he was joking? Well, it was no joke to me.

       "The caretaker came up from behind without saying anything. He put his hands down my trousers and inside my underwear.

       "He groped my bottom. Then, he pulled me up - hurting my private parts.

       "For me, this is not a joke. This is not how an old man should 'joke' with a teenager.

       "That handful of seconds was more than enough for the caretaker to make me feel his hands on me."

       The controversial ruling sparked an angry backlash on social media from outraged Italian women and men.

       Many shared videos of themselves touching their intimate parts in silence for ten seconds in a bid to highlight how long that feels.

       The hashtag #10secondi has been trending on Instagram and TikTok.

       Among those to post such a clip include White Lotus actor Paolo Camilli.

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       And influencer Francesco Cicconetti wrote on TikTok: "Who decides that ten seconds is not a long time? Who times the seconds, while you're being harassed?

       "Men don't have the right to touch women's bodies, not even for a second - let alone five or ten."