The sole judge of Rome has sentenced Fabio Manganaro, the Carabiniere accused of a penalty measure not permitted by law for having blindfolded Gabriel Christian Natale Hjorth in the barracks on Via in Selci after the arrest of the two Americans, Hjorth and his friend Finnegan Elder Lee , for the murder of Carabinieri vice-brigadier Mario Cerciello Rega, which occurred during the night between 25 and 26 July 2019 in the centre of the capital, to two months, suspended sentence.
The events date back to July 26, 2019: Hjorth was blindfolded after being taken to the barracks on Via in Selci , Rome, for questioning. The prosecution requested a three-month sentence. Judge Alfonso Sabella also ordered the boy to pay five thousand euros in damages.
Carabinieri Marshal Sentenced: Severity Measure Not Allowed by Law
The photographs of the blindfolded American, not taken by Manganaro, were circulated in a chat room and later made it into the newspapers. The marshal had previously stated that he had blindfolded Hjorth to prevent the boy from engaging in self-harm.
For the murder of Cerciello Rega in March 2022, Hjorth was sentenced on appeal to 22 years in prison, while Elder was sentenced to 24.
“We believe there was no intention or malice, generic or specific, in the order to blindfold Natale Hjort, because the purpose was the safety of the operators and of the arrested person himself”.
This is the comment of Massimiliano Zetti , Secretary General of the New Carabinieri Union (NSC) on the sidelines of the two-month sentence given to Carabinieri Marshal Fabio Manganaro.
"To speak of abuse of authority in this case," Zetti says , "is truly excessive, and while we respect the ruling, we are certain that the final outcome will vindicate the operator, as it is a method used and recognized as valid in several democratic countries."
