Interrogated by the Carabinieri after the beatings of 6 April 2020 in the prison of Santa Maria Capua Vetere , Antonio Zerillo he had initially reported the beatings he had suffered.
However, today in court, the prisoner, currently incarcerated in the same prison, recanted all charges, provoking the reaction of the prosecutor and risking an indictment for perjury. He is not the first prisoner to contradict himself or recant during the trial underway in the prison's bunker courtroom, which sees 105 officers accused.
Zerillo, who joined the civil action, declared: "I don't remember being beaten, neither in the cell, nor along the way, nor in the ward. The bruise on my buttock was probably caused by bumping into something."
Prosecutor Alessandra Pinto disputed his claims, reminding him that during the investigation he had described being beaten in his cell, along the path between two wings of officers and in the social room.
Zerillo replied: “Maybe I signed without looking at the minutes”, while the president of the panel Roberto Donatiello invited him to tell the truth. The prosecutor underlined the importance of the fact that Zerillo is currently detained in the same prison, provoking the reaction of some lawyers.
The witness Claudio Merolla, a victim of the beatings and a civil party, testified that he had been beaten in the cell, in the corridor by the officers and in the social room, where he was forced to face the wall and beaten. He described how, dragged by the ankles, he had seen the Commissioner Annarita Costanzo, who looked and smiled, even though he had not actively participated in the violence.
He also reported that the officers had lit part of his beard with a lighter and that nurses and doctors had also behaved inhumanely. However, the videos shown in the courtroom do not show the presence of Commissioner Costanzo in the social room.
Article published on May 15, 2024 - 19:05 pm
