Italy's Cassation Court on
Wednesday sentenced TV talk show host Paola Perego to pay civil
damages for defaming five child-murder suspects live on air in
2006.
Perego referred to the suspects - who were later exonerated
at trial - as "bastards" on her program 'Verissimo' on May 16,
2006.
Another journalist who referred to the suspects as
"murderers" during the same program was also sentenced to pay
damages.
The court found the defendants used words that were
"gravely defamatory and unnecessarily humiliating".
The crime in question is the December 16, 2005 murder of
13-year-old Francesco Ferreri in the Sicilian town of
Barrafranca.
The case is still unsolved.
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