ROME – A male cleaner at a secondary school is alleged to have sexually abused a 16 year old migrant schoolgirl, police have said.

The 53 year-old cleaner is reported to have targeted the young girl while she attended school, first catching her alone in the classroom before then convincing her with bribes, to acquiesce to his sexual desires, police footage reports.

Police cameras were placed in the classrooms after the girl, an unaccompanied migrant, who had arrived only four months earlier, was reported to be behaving uncharacteristically, by a worker in her residence.

The unidentified cleaner reportedly tried to persuade the girl that she was his wife, before encouraging her to follow him to the bathroom, saying “come, I will give you a present”. Then taking her into the deserted school gym promising a stick of American chewing-gum, he made use of an empty changing room to violently abuse the girl.

According to the victim, the cleaner covered her mouth with his hand and attempted to undress her. Despite the schoolgirl managing to wriggle free, it is reported that the male continued to violently abuse his victim.

The cleaner has been subsequently captured and arrested and the power of attorney of Ragusa and Catania who is dealing with the investigation, has succeeded in putting in place various safeguards, such as permission to confiscate and destroy the perpetrator’s computer and telephone, as a result of the incident.