The parents of Italian children who commit violent crimes face the threat of crushing financial penalties following a landmark ruling by a judge in Milan.

The mothers and fathers of five teenage boys who repeatedly raped a young girl have been ordered to pay her compensation totalling €450,000 because of their failure to give their sons an "education in feelings and emotions". Judge Bianca La Monica awarded the damages against all the boys' natural parents, including those who had separated from their partners and no longer had custody of their sons.