9 arrested inc 8 minors for Puglia man

(ANSA) - Rome, June 26 - Nine more people including eight minors were arrested Wednesday on suspicion of belonging to a teen gang who beat to death a 65-year-old man at Manduria near Taranto in Puglia in April.
    The man, Antonio Cosimo Stano, died on April 23 after being bullied and beaten by the gang.
    The adult and eight minors, all in their teens, have been charged with torture, grievous bodily harm, damages and breaking and entering.
    Police said the gang had launched "a Clockwork Orange style raid" on Stano's house, which had been captured on CCTV.
    Last month a preliminary investigations judge in Taranto ruled that two young adults accused of torturing Stano to death must remain in jail.
    "The beatings were synchronised and well-rehearsed," said the judge.
    The victim was subjected to "inhuman and degrading treatment, terrorised, insulted with spitting and pushed into a state of confusion and disorientation" before being tortured to death, the judge said.
    Another judge ruled that the six minors accused in the same case should stay in detention too.
    Stano died of his injuries on April 23 after 18 days in hospital and two operations following a series of alleged beatings and acts of bullying by the gang of youths, both in the street and in the victim's home.
    Videos of the violence that members of the gang allegedly shared on Whatsapp is among the evidence that has been gathered by investigators.
    The victim is said to have suffered psychological problems and was unable to defend himself.
    The case has caused widespread shock in Italy.
    The suspects are accused of crimes including torture, criminal damage, abduction and trespassing.