Overview
- An investigating judge, Laura Alcaro, ordered house arrest after a request by prosecutor Sergio Dini on charges of aggravated sexual violence involving seven minors.
- The case opened in March 2026 when a 17-year-old told another teacher about abuse, and chats on his phone pointed to peers with similar accounts.
- Investigators say the alleged acts stretch from 2017 to March 2026 in schools, parish settings, and trips, including sudden groping and entering a boy’s bed during a trip.
- Local outlets identify the suspect as Francesco Saviane, a former religion teacher at Istituto Barbarigo and parish youth leader, now confined in a rectory in the Padua area.
- Police say he gained deep access to students’ lives by offering rides and setting up meetups, a tactic they argue eased contact with minors and slowed reports to adults.