Berlusconi 'entertained women 2 or 3 times a week at Roman castle'

London, Feb 16 (ANI): Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, who is set to face trial on charges of sex with a 17-year-old girl, apparently entertained young women two or three times a week at a historic castle he rented last summer outside Rome.

According to telephone calls which were intercepted by Milan prosecutors in the course of their investigations into his alleged payment of an under age prostitute, he was also throwing "two or three dinners" a week at the 15th century Castello di Tor Crescenza on the outskirts of the capital, reports the Telegraph.

Berlusconi already stands accused of holding "bunga bunga" sex parties at his mansion outside Milan, of sleeping with at least one prostitute at his palazzo in Rome and of hosting pool parties for topless models at his villa in Sardinia.

The latest allegations further broaden the scope of Berlusconi's network of female groupies, with investigators examining whether there is any evidence of "aiding and abetting" prostitution at the castle, according to reports in the Italian press.

According to the wire tap evidence, the circle of young women who attended parties at Berlusconi's Milan residence were jealous of the frequency of the dinners held at the castle outside Rome.

The women reportedly considered themselves either "Milan girls" or "Rome girls" and competed for the prime minister's attention and largesse.

The parties at the castle were organised with the help of Maria Rosaria Rossi, an MP from Berlusconi's People of Freedom party, according to the wire tap evidence. (ANI)