An Italian scientist who was booted out of Scotland after a sex attack on two students has launched a cowardly bid to present himself as the victim.
St Andrews University PhD student Pasquale Galianni, now 36, was jailed for five years for the attacks which were similar to offences he committed in Germany.
Despite admitting his crimes halfway through his trial at the High Court in Glasgow, Galianni is now backtracking and has circulated a whining email to the Scots media claiming he was punished too severely.
The pervert, who now says he is a campaigner for women’s rights, claims one victim regarded the attack as a “joke” – despite the fact she reported him to police.
He claims the jury at his trial was presented with “shaky, fabricated DNA evidence” that would not have been accepted in many “civilised” countries outside of Scotland.
Galianni had originally been charged with rape but that was dropped. Despite admitting dragging a 19-year-old student into undergrowth, pinning her to the ground and trying to remove her tights and underwear, Galianni now claims he only pleaded guilty on the advice of his lawyer.
The victim said in evidence that she was “terrified”, adding: “He was very strong and I didn’t think I would be able to push him off.”
But Galianni claimed in his email that he admitted the attack because “according to my lawyers, the jury wouldn’t have believed me if I had told them that I was guilty only of one of the attacks”.
On his German convictions for similar offences, Galianni claims an admin error resulted in his offence appearing to be exaggerated by Interpol.
The former student also admitted at his Scots trial to grabbing a woman and putting a hand between her legs and on her buttocks. But in his email, he blamed the assault on drink and claimed he is a campaigner for equality.
He said: “I admit here in public that in a state of intoxication I did put my hand on the buttocks of a woman. I regret this action. And it was wrong at every possible level.
“I respect women and currently I am fighting for rights of women in science and equality.
“However it has to be noted that the woman laughed at it and thought it was a joke by her boyfriend.
“I still don’t believe that I received a five-year sentence (that is more than some rapists) and lost four years of PhD for touching a woman buttocks on top of a thick winter jacket.”
Galianni committed the assaults on the St Andrews campus at North Haugh in 2013 and 2014.
When the Record phoned him in Italy, he said he had prepared his email to demonstrate the remorse he feels and to make a case for his right to a second chance.
He said: “I am truly sorry for what happened and I respect women.
“But I have suffered hard for what I did and I just want a chance to get on with my life.”
