The supreme Court of Cassation said
Wednesday that five doctors whose acquittals in the 2009 death
in custody of Stefano Cucchi it overturned last December had
failed in their duty of care towards the detainee.
They should have diagnosed him "accurately...even within a
complex situation, which cannot justify doctors' inertia or
diagnostic error".
Cucchi, 31, died in a custodial wing of Rome's Pertini
Hospital after his arrest on minor drug charges. His body showed
signs he had sustained a brutal beating at some point during his
detention.
Officer Francesco Tedesco and four fellow officers are
under investigation over the death in custody.
The top court upheld the acquittal of a sixth doctor and
of three three prison guards at Regina Coeli jail in relation to
the case.
Separately, Rome city prosecutors are investigating five
Carabinieri officers on charges of aggravated bodily harm
and perjury in the case. The five had custody of Cucchi before
he was turned over to Regina Coeli prison.
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