Two policemen in service at Misilmeri acquitted of beating a detainee

Last Updated: March 19, 2024

The judges of the Palermo Court of Appeals, led by Mario Conte, (alongside Luisa Anna Cattina and Riccardo Trombetta), acquitted two carabinieri, Cristian Filardo and Antonino Morinello, who were accused of beating a special surveillance subject during a home inspection. The two military personnel had been sentenced to 3 years and one month of imprisonment in the first instance trial, in addition to damages owed to the civil party. The accused were charged with aggravated assault against a man whom they allegedly punched, perforated his eardrum, threatened to take him to a criminal prison in Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto, and kill him with batons. The carabinieri allegedly omitted the true events of the inspection in their service reports and falsely accused the suspect of issuing death threats against one of them. The defense lawyers, Salvatore Sansone, Fabio Ferrara, and Nicola Salzano, argued the absolute unreliability of the accusations, stating that the subject was under special surveillance at the time due to severe psychiatric disorders such as delusions of persecution, uncontrollable aversion to carabinieri, and paranoia. The lawyers expressed satisfaction with the outcome of their work, aimed at establishing the truth in a case that severely impacted the two carabinieri who always acted diligently and in compliance with the law.