A trial of five Carabinieri in the
death of Stefano Cucchi, a Rome draughtsman who died allegedly
after police brutality in October 2009, started Friday and was
immediately adjourned until October 20.
The trial was adjourned because one of the judges abstained
and the others will now meet to form a new judicial college.
Cucchi's sisteri Ilaria, who has been campaigning tirelessly
for justice for her brother, said "now the moment of truth has
arrived".
A new witness said last month that Cucchi"couldn't stand up"
in his cell after his alleged beating.
Family lawyer Fabio Anselmo said the claim Cucchi suffered
only "slight injuries" was "patently false".
Ilaria said the new trial would be "the real one".
On July 10 a Rome judge indicted the five Carabinieri police
over Cucchi's death in a custodial wing of a Rome hospital.
Three of the Carabinieri are accused of involuntary
manslaughter.
They allegedly beat the young draughtsman after his arrest on
October 15, 2009.
The other two are accused of calumny and making false
declarations.
Cucchi's sister Ilaria hailed the indictments, saying
"finally those responsible for the death of my brother, the same
people who for eight years his behind their uniforms, will go to
trial and will be called to answer for what they did".
Cucchi died in a custodial wing of Rome's Sandro Pertini
Hospital on October 22, 2009, a week after he was picked up on
minor drug charges.
A charge of involuntary manslaughter has been laid against
Alessio Di Bernardo, Raffaele D'Alessandro and Francesco
Tedesco, who were on duty at the Roma Appia station the night of
Cucchi's arrest.
Tedesco is also accused of making false statements.
Roberto Mandolini, interim commander of the station, is
charged with calumny and making false statements.
Tedesco is also charged with calumny, as well as the fifth
Carabiniere, Vincenzo Nicolardi.
The three Carabinieri charged with involuntary manslaughter
are also charged with abuse of authority for subjecting Cucchi
to "detention measures not allowed by law".
The Cucchi case has caused widespread public dismay after
several trials springing from an initial investigation failed to
find any culprits, even though Cucchi's body showed signs of him
being the victim of brutality.
Last year five Pertini doctors were acquitted of manslaughter
charges over Cucchi's death after Italy's supreme Cassation
Court had ordered a fresh appeals trial against them.
The Carabinieri police who arrested Cucchi struck him with
"slaps, punches and kicks" prosecutors wrote in a notification
that they had concluded an investigation into the case.
The blows caused a "bad fall with an impact on the ground in
the rear area" which, "combined with the negligent conduct of
the health personnel treating Cucchi at the Sandro Pertini
hospital (in Rome), led to his death".
Ilaria Cucchi expressed satisfaction when the probe was
completed.
"I don't know how the road ahead will be, but finally we'll
talk about the truth, that is homicide," said Ilaria Cucchi,
who has campaigned tirelessly for truth and justice in her
brother's case.
Rome prosecutors made no mention of an epileptic fit that
Stefano Cucchi suffered in custody after being arrested among
the causes of his death.
An expert report by Francesco Introna for a preliminary
investigations judge referred to an epileptic fit as a probable
cause of death.
The prosecutors' accusations cannot be proven, the defence
lawyer of one of the officers said last month.
"We believe that this accusation cannot be proven in court,
as the elements it is based on cannot be found in the (case)
documents, never mind in the expert report for the preliminary
investigations judge," said lawyer Eugenio Pini.
Cucchi died in a custodial hospital wing on the night
between October 22 and 23, 2009, a week after he was picked up
on the minor drug charges.
His body showed signs he had sustained a brutal beating at
some point during his detention, and an autopsy revealed he was
severely dehydrated, had two broken vertebrae and internal organ
damage.
Cucchi's parents said he was in perfectly good health the
day he was arrested, but appeared at a court hearing the next
day with black eyes and his face covered with bruises.
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