He would have threatened, beaten and persecuted his ex because he was going out with friends. A 44-year-old man, a former professional Serie C footballer, was arrested on Wednesday by the police for stalking, aggravated bodily harm, battery, threats, housebreaking and damage towards his ex-girlfriend. The man, defended by the lawyer Gianandrea Pazzini, is in prison in compliance with a precautionary measure order issued by the investigating judge Vinicio Cantarini, following the investigations coordinated by the deputy prosecutor Luca Bertuzzi. The former footballer was also seen threatening his ex-girlfriend at Kiosko il Vincanto, the venue in Villa Verucchio destroyed in a fire on the night between 14 and 15 April. On that occasion the 44-year-old was seen slapping his ex in front of the customers of the restaurant and when she was defended by the owner of the restaurant, Filippo Malatesta, a well-known singer-songwriter from Rimini, his response was lapidary: «Don’t worry, tomorrow the restaurant will not You’ve got it anymore, I’ll throw four Molotov cocktails at you.”
Investigations underway
The arrest of the former footballer – it is underlined – took place for the crimes committed against the woman with whom he had had a relationship and not for the hypothesis of arson for which investigations by the investigative unit are still underway of the firefighters of Bologna and the carabinieri of Villa Verucchio. At the moment the Carabinieri, after having listened to witnesses and collected reports, have proceeded with the crime of stalking, battery and home invasion against the woman. And damage to a friend of hers who allegedly found his car tires slashed while the car was parked in front of the Kiosko. Among the various persecutory behaviors that the 44-year-old is said to have engaged in recently, the most serious episodes date back to the days immediately preceding the fire at Malatesta’s restaurant. In fact, last April 13 the suspect entered the woman’s house and when she returned he was found sitting in the dark, after which he attacked her with slaps and death threats. “I’ll put you in the ground,” he shouted at her in the grip of uncontrollable anger. Only the intervention of the woman’s sister had prevented the worst. The next day, on April 14th in the late morning, the former footballer showed up at the Kiosko in Villa Verucchio where her ex was eating and started insulting and slapping the woman, telling her not to be seen in the club again because he was in charge there. he. On the same evening of the 14th, in an escalation which according to the investigating judge Cantarini reveals “the dangerous personality of the suspect”, still at the Kiosko restaurant in front of the customers he insults her and threatens Malatesta, as well as a friend of the ex who will find himself under the wheels of the cars cut down. In the aftermath of the fire at the club, a very popular meeting point in Villa Verucchio, many had suspicions that the fire was the consequence of a desperate and senseless action. Gossip and inferences which had not been confirmed in the investigations and which even at present – it is worth repeating – have nothing to do with the arrest of the 44-year-old. The defense lawyer also reiterates that the episodes were limited in number (today there will probably be the question of guarantee) and that for the evening of the fire the 44-year-old would have an alibi: his father heard him coming home at midnight, time when the restaurant was still open.
