Italy is considering introducing chemical castration for rapists and making revenge porn a criminal offence.

MPs in the country's ruling populist coalition have already clashed over the proposals, which appear in a major new bill aimed at tacking sex crimes.

The idea of chemical castration for some sex offenders - with their consent - was put forward by the right-wing League. But the party's coalition partners Five Star were opposed to the idea.

Meanwhile, revenge porn is set to be made a crime - but there is still debate over the exact details of that proposal.

Italian Interior Minister and Vice Premier Matteo Salvini gestures at the Italian Senate in Rome

The bill, known as Code Red, is set to be discussed again on Tuesday.

League, whose Secretary-General is Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, put forward the idea of voluntary chemical castration for sex offenders but Five Star MP Veronica Giannone dismissed the idea.

She said: 'It's a joke to say "we'll castrate you, but only if you agree". Chemical castration isn't the method, but prison and certainty of punishment.

'This proposal is just political propaganda, and dozens of my colleagues think so too.'

Salvini had tweeted that it was a fitting punishment for three men who raped an American tourist in Catania, Sicily.

He said on the social media site: 'For the rapist worms in #Catania who raped a tourist there's no discount: certain punishment and chemical castration!'

All three of the men allegedly sexually abused and raped the woman while filming the sickening attack. Arrests were made when police identified and arrested them after one of the men sent the victim a video via social media and invited her out again the following evening.

Giulia Sarti, deputy of the Five Stars Movement, places the ballot during the first meeting of the new Italian parliament March 15, 2013 in Rome, Italy

Roberto Mirabella, 20, Salvatore Castrogiovanni, 19, and Agatino Spampinato, 19, were arrested by police on March 21 and taken to the Catania Piazza Lanza prison (pictured)





All three of the men allegedly sexually abused and raped the woman while filming the sickening attack (pictured: Policeman on a motorbike in Catania)

The coalition parties did, however, agree on the issue of revenge porn to an extent.

Five Star MP, Giulia Sarti, a recent victim of revenge porn, was supported by the mother of Tiziana Cantone, 31, who took her own life after sex videos of her went viral on the internet in 2017.

'As you are an MP, perhaps what happened can serve as input to legislate and finally intervene against this phenomenon,' Ms Maria Teresa Giglio said.

Mrs Sarti criticised another MP's stance on the matter as not strong enough, despite her supporting the criminalisation.

Laura Boldrini of the left-wing Free and Equal (LeU) party put forward an amendment that was defeated by 14 votes.

On Facebook, Ms Sarti wrote in response: 'The topic is so sensitive that it requires wide debate not only in parliament, but also judicial and social, above all involving experts, victims, families, analysts, jurists and all the relevant state actors, like the post and telecoms police.

'It's a very important issue, so serious regulation must not be incomplete.'