A graphic designer who forced his Airbnb host to perform a sex act on him and told her he would leave a “good review” has been found guilty of rape.
Diego Dellarovere, 43, of West Kensington, London, attacked his victim at her flat in Croydon on May 7, 2021, after she welcomed him as her first-ever guest. Croydon Crown Court heard how the pair were sitting on the sofa drinking wine when Italian Dellarovere offered her a massage.
“He mentioned massage at that point and was following me very close and came behind me and started rubbing my shoulders and I said: ‘No thanks,’” she said, according to the Daily Mail. “Then when I was sitting on the couch, he was touching my legs and said: ‘Put on spa music and I can give you a massage.’ He was saying: ‘I have oil. I will give you a massage.”
They had been chatting on her couch with glasses of wine when she realised he was “getting a bit handsy,” but she let that slide because “he’s Italian and they do that,” she said, as per The Sun. The host then sought refuge in her bedroom, barricading herself with a kitchen knife, her dog, and her cat. The morning after the assault, the father-of-one left, saying: “I’ll leave a good review.”
After leaving her attacker a review, she added: “He responded with an angry face emoji and there was some back and forth messaging in which he said it was consensual and using block capitals said I liked it.” Dellarovere then sent further WhatsApp messages to the woman, including: “You are repressed”, “You’re not a good person”, “You need to be more in your soul not your mind”, “Be an adult, not a baby”, and “I didn’t see any objections from you.”
Dellarovere then blocked the woman, but contacted her again when she reported to Airbnb her concerns about his stay, resulting in her ultimately blocking him. Despite initially contemplating reporting the incident solely to Airbnb, the woman filed a formal complaint. However, Dellarovere denies the rape and sexual assault allegations.
“I was just going to report this to Airbnb and leave it at that. My initial thoughts were it was pointless because it was not going to go anywhere,” the victim said. “Then my thought was that he is likely going to do that to someone again so I want his name to be flagged.”
The trial at Croydon Crown Court continues.
https://www.complex.com/life/a/sanj-patel/airbnb-host-raped-by-first-ever-male-guest
