(ANSA) - Rome, November 14 - Two Carabinieri were sentenced
to 12 years in jail Thursday for involuntary homicide in the
2009 death of Rome draughtsman Stefano Cucchi.
Alessio Di Bernardo and Raffaele D'Alessandro were also
convicted of abuse of authority.
A defendant who turned witness and gave evidence on police
brutality, Francesco Tedesco, was cleared of involuntary
homicide but got two and a half years for making false
statements.
"Stefano was killed, we knew that and we've been repeating it
for 10 years. Now perhaps he can rest in peace," said his sister
Ilaria, who has campaigned tirelessly for the truth in the case
in the face of police obstruction and, until recently, omerta.
A visibly moved Carabiniere officer, who was not among those
on trial, kissed Ilaria's hand after the verdict.
"I did it because justice has finally been done after all
these years," she said before escorting Cucchi's parents out of
the courtroom in Rebibbia prison.
Earlier, a Rome appeals court on Friday acquitted one doctor
and timed out four others for negligent manslaughter in the 2009
death of 31-year-old Cucchi, who was picked up on a minor drugs
charge in October 2009 and died in hospital a week later.
The case, which has been dogged by alleged cover-ups that are
subject to a separate probe, was bogged down for years before a
Carabiniere turned informant.
2 Carabinieri get 12 yrs for Cucchi
Defendant turned witness acquitted but guilty of false statement