Not only in Iran

By Christian Fraser BBC News, Rome

The case involved the appeal of a 40-year-old man who had sexually abused his girlfriend's 14-year-old daughter.

The ruling has been criticised by politicians and child-welfare agencies.

A lower court had ordered the man to serve three years and four months, but his appeal has so far lasted four years and he has yet to spend a day in jail.

On Friday Italy's highest court ruled the sentence was excessive, given the extenuating circumstances of the case.

'More developed'

In a written decision, which will now be sent back to the lower court in Cagliari for consideration, the five Supreme Court judges decided the rape of a minor was a more moderate offence if the child involved was no longer a virgin.

It's incomprehensible - I feel like I've been punched in the stomach Maria Gabriella Moscatelli Italian women's helpline

This girl comes from a socially-deprived background, they said, and her personality, from a sexual point of view, was more developed than one would normally expect of a child that age.

The ruling has brought a furious reaction from politicians and child-protection agencies across Italy.

Maria Gabriella Moscatelli, the president of a women's helpline called The Pink Telephone, said the decision had put her country back 50 years.

"It's incomprehensible," she said. "I feel like I've been punched in the stomach."