Shock in Italy has been caused by the rape of a 10-year-old girl at a migrant shelter by a 28-year-old illegal immigrant of Bangladeshi descent.

According to Italian reports, the girl became pregnant after she was raped at a migrant center in San Colombano di Collio, in Brescia, northern Italy.

The case came to light when the girl’s mother noticed sudden and “strange” changes in the 10-year-old’s behaviour.

When the girl spoke to her mother about what the 28-year-old had done, she was taken to hospital where she was found to be pregnant with the 10-year-old subsequently undergoing an abortion.

The 28-year-old was arrested on charges of sexual assault and taken to a Brescia jail where he awaits trial.

The accused allegedly gained the trust of the mother, who often left him alone with her daughter.

The victim and his mother were taken to a “protected” location elsewhere in Lombardy with the 10-year-old receiving psychological support after the rape.