The mayor of a small town in Friuli
Venezia Giulia has donated 35 refrigerators for as many cells in
the prison of Udine as a debt of gratitude for being comforted
by fellow inmates when he spent eight days at the detention
facility 44 years ago, local newspaper Messaggero Veneto
reported on Friday.
Mauro Pinosa, mayor of Lusevera, said a fundraiser had been
launched for the initiative by the local ombudsman for detained
people and associations but that he paid the entire sum, or
5,250 euros, to ensure the inmates would get the fridges right
away.
Pinosa spent eight days at the prison in Udine after using a
new gun at the local shooting range before receiving the
documents renewing his gun license.
"My world fell apart", he said of having to serve time.
Pinosa told the newspaper that he spent "only eight days" in
jail "but they were enough to understand what it means to be
deprived of freedom".
"I discovered a different world, one I didn't know I would ever
get to know.
"I was terribly upset, but the people I shared my cell with
never stopped comforting me".
After a four-month conviction issued by a court of first
instance, the appeals court of Trieste eventually acquitted him,
he said.
Today, he concluded, "after 44 years, I finally did something
for the facility and the detainees".
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