A witness in the manslaughter
trial of five Carabinieri in the death of Rome draughtsman
Stefano Cucchi told the court Tuesday that Cucchi told him in
detention that the cops had "enjoyed themselves with him".
Luigi Lainà said he spoke to Cucchi at the medical centre in
Rome's Regina Coeli Prison on the night of October 16-17 2009.
"Stefano told me that the Carabinieri 'enjoyed themselves'
with him. He was so swollen he looked like bag-pipes, he should
not have been taken to jail in that condition," said Lainà.
"Stefano told me two plain-clothes Carabinieri beat him in
the first barracks he was taken to...they wanted to make him
talk, they wanted to know where the drugs had come from but he
didn't talk, he didn't want to be a snitch."
The trial of the five Carabinieri started on October 13.
Cucchi died in a custodial hospital wing on the night
between October 22 and 23, 2009, a week after he was picked up
on 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.
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 year that Cucchi"couldn't stand up"
in his cell after his alleged beating.
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".
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