When the father of the family committed suicide, he took on the role of ‘godfather’. “I wanted to help the family, with many problems, by supporting them emotionally and financially.” He took particular care of the girl, who lacked a father figure. For example, he attended her graduation ceremony and regularly went shopping with her. He even bought her lingerie once.
Short moments
But in his role as father figure and financial supporter of the family, Borsato took advantage of her vulnerability, the victim says. “They were brief moments, and it happened so often that I don’t remember exactly when he did what.”
After her mother found a diary in which the girl described the assaults, she confronted the singer and broke off the collaboration. The singer swears that he only caressed her and sometimes gave her a ‘playful slap on the bottom’, but never with sexual intentions.
‘Like my own child’
He treated her like his own child, he says. “When she came home and saw me, she threw down her bike and jumped into my arms. Ten times out of ten, she sat on my lap. If she experienced touching as inappropriate, I apologize.”