Elderly abuse in Cerreto Sannita care home: all sent to trial

The four health care workers accused of aggravated mistreatment of elderly guests at the Cerreto Sannita nursing home have been officially sent for trial.

The decision came at the end of the preliminary hearing before the GUP of Benevento, Dr. Camerlengo, who accepted the request of the Prosecutor's Office. The trial will open on May 8, 2025 before the panel of the second section of the Court of Benevento.

The following were put on trial: GP, 51, from Cerreto Sannita; LAM, 56, from Guardia Sanframondi; AM, 48, from Sant'Agata de' Goti; and GS, 30, from Valle di Maddaloni. The four social-health workers, defended by lawyers Massimo Viscusi, Emiliano Vaccarella, Antonio Barbieri and Cosimo Ciotta.

The investigations, coordinated by the prosecutor Stefania Bianco and conducted by the Carabinieri and the Guardia di Finanza of Solopaca and Cerreto Sannita, with the support of the NAS Command of Salerno, had already led to the issuing of precautionary measures, prohibiting the four defendants from approaching the structure.

The charges concern alleged episodes of physical and psychological abuse of fragile people, considered by investigators to be victims of shouting, insults and intimidating behavior. The investigating judge Pietro Vinetti had ordered a ban on approaching the facility, later partially replaced by the Review Court with a one-year ban from practicing for three of the defendants.

Yesterday's hearing saw important preliminary issues emerge. GP, a 51-year-old from Cerreto Sannita, through his lawyer, requested a plea bargain, but the judge rejected it, ordering that his client also be sent to trial.

The lawyer Emiliano Vaccarella, defender of LAM, 56 years old from Guardia Sanframondi, instead asked for the revocation of the precautionary measure, a request that was not accepted. The outcome of the request of the lawyer Massimo Viscusi, who objected to the vagueness of the charge, was different: the judge accepted the exception, with possible repercussions on the future structure of the trial.

After the discussion on the preliminary issues, the discussions began. The Prosecutor's Office reiterated the request for a referral to trial, considering the evidence collected to support the accusation solid. On the other hand, the defense tried to obtain a dismissal, arguing that there was no evidence to support a trial, but the Gup rejected the request.

With this decision, the four defendants will now have to face trial, where the charges and evidence collected during the investigations conducted by the Carabinieri and the Guardia di Finanza, with the support of the NAS of Salerno, will be examined in detail.