(ANSA) Rome, Oct. 31 - An appeal court Friday threw out the
conviction of four doctors and a hospital staff member accused
of killing Stefano Cucchi, a draughtsman who died murkily in
Rome's Pertini hospital five years ago.
A lower court last year also had acquitted three warders and
three nurses in the case and their acquittal also was upheld by
the Rome appeal court while the manslaughter conviction against
the five found guilty last year was quashed. Cucchi, a Roman,
died in 2009 after being arrested on a drug charge and according
to the lower court his death was caused by a "severe shortage of
food and liquids".
An autopsy shortly after Cucchi's death found he was
severely dehydrated and also had two broken vertebrae and
internal organ damage.
The appeal court decision however fully absolved the
consultant in charge of the prison ward of the Pertini hospital.
Aldo Fierro, and the doctors Stefania Corbi, Flaminia Bruno,
Luigi De Marchis Preite, Silvia Di Carlo and Rosita Caponetti.
Also cleared were nurses Giuseppe Flauto, Elvira Martelli
and Domenico Pepe as well as prison guards Nicola Minichini,
Corrado Santantonio and Antonio Domenici.
It was not immediately clear whether prosecutors would lodge
a further appeal, meaning the case would be heard a third time
in the Court of Cassation, Italy's Supreme Court.
"Together with my colleagues I have been accused of
barbarity, of having clubbed and beaten Stefano Cucchi,"
Minichini told the court earlier, "we were compared to ruthless
Nazis. I would not wish anyone to go through what we have
undergone. But I, we are innocent".
Prison warder Domenic for his part said "we were accused of
crimes we never committed, despite being absolved in the lower
court."
"Our only fault was to be on duty that day," he added, "In
nearly 30 years of service everyone knows that I am mild and
dedicated but I was called a criminal and a heavy guy."
"I repeat my innocence. I didn't carry out any violent
action toward Cucchi, it is not my character, all I did was to
help him".
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