Law enforcement agencies and courts in Italy, Sweden, Brazil and India are handling a cluster of sexual assault allegations in which the accused and the complainants first connected through social media platforms. The cases, all emerging within days of each other, involve minors and young adults, and highlight the legal complexities of consent in relationships that begin online.

In Milan, a 22-year-old man is under investigation after a 16-year-old girl alleged he forced her into sexual acts during their first in-person meeting in late March. The two had exchanged messages on Instagram before meeting in the city’s Piazza del Duomo and later moving to a park on the southern outskirts. According to Italian investigators, the girl told the man to stop, but he ignored her and assaulted her. The man, who has minor prior property offences, told authorities the encounter was consensual. A judge in Milan found the girl’s account credible and noted a risk of repeat offending, but instead of the pre-trial detention requested by prosecutors, imposed a nightly residence obligation and a curfew from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m.

In Tarumã, Brazil, a 37-year-old man was arrested in flagrante on Monday after the mother of an 11-year-old child discovered inappropriate content on the child’s phone. Brazilian police said the suspect had contacted the child through social media and messaging apps, solicited and received intimate images, and sent sexual content. A preliminary analysis of his phone, conducted with his consent, revealed material consistent with the allegations. He faces charges of storing child sexual abuse material and online grooming. In Malmö, Sweden, a man in his 30s was detained on suspicion of raping a boy under 15. Swedish prosecutors said the suspect had arranged the meeting via Snapchat and allegedly offered the boy payment to come to his apartment. The investigation is ongoing, with a decision on pre-trial detention expected by Friday.

A court in the Indian state of Uttarakhand quashed a rape case on 16 July that arose from a relationship that began on the dating app Tinder. The complainant alleged the man had repeatedly promised marriage and then ended the relationship; the court ruled that a consensual physical relationship that does not culminate in marriage cannot later be treated as rape on a false promise of marriage. The judge noted the woman was a mature adult who entered the relationship of her own free will. Meanwhile, in Rimini, Italy, a 23-year-old Italian tourist reported being raped by a foreign man she met in the city centre. She told carabinieri she had drinks with him before going to a residence, where the alleged assault occurred, but she has been unable to recall the address or provide a detailed description of the suspect. Medical examinations are under way, and investigators are reviewing surveillance footage; no suspect has been identified.

All cases remain under active investigation or judicial review. Italian and Swedish authorities are continuing to gather forensic and witness evidence, while the Brazilian suspect awaits formal charging. The Indian ruling is subject to potential appeal.