«With that gesture he wanted to humiliate me: he put his hands on me in the middle of an argument that started for trivial reasons. So, in front of everyone, he groped me, then – when I told him that he made me vomit, that he could be my father – he gave me a head at face level. Here on the nose, causing indelible damage.” Courtroom 413, Naples courthouse, here it is Alessandra Novellothe young businesswoman who was the victim of a nasty attack that took place inside the family restaurant.
An episode that occurred two years ago, inside a restaurant in via San Sebastiano, which forced an entire family unit to make a drastic choice: to move their business to Chiaia, so as not to suffer the pressure of the brute anymore. Defense by the criminal lawyer Esther LettieriAlessandra talks about her determination to become a civil party (another offended party is Alessandra’s aunt, defended by the lawyer Mauro Valentino), in a trial against the 51-year-old LL (he is accused of serious injuries and sexual violence: he is defended by the lawyer Antonio Del Vecchio).
Alessandra, what drives you to appear in court and join the civil action?
«The belief that there is nothing that can prevent you from defending your dignity. I will participate in every phase of this trial, where – it is fair to reiterate – the accused will have the opportunity to support his own version of the facts, but I will not take a step back from a principle: anyone who believes they have suffered a violent, degrading act must not give up making your voice heard, telling your experience. He must not give in to the temptation to isolate himself, perhaps ending up in oblivion.”
What is it referring to?
«I never imagined I would find myself in such a situation. On April 30th in the Court of Naples, together with my trusted lawyer and my mother, to assert my reasons.
Yet, I assure you that when a woman suffers harassment or violence she has a tendency to turn in on herself. But we must overcome this moment. Because only those who act brutally should feel ashamed and feel the weight of guilt. Anyone who suffers what happened to me must tell everything with honesty and civic spirit, being able to walk with their head held high.”
What happened to her?
“I explained it to the investigators, there are the medical reports and the testimonies.”
This is the trial and it is right that his story remains a biased version, which awaits the reconstruction of the accused. Tell us what happened in your restaurant from his point of view.
«It was February 25, 2022, inside the family restaurant. I heard a man in his fifties argue vehemently with my aunt about placing food in some trays. I tried to intervene, but he didn’t give me time to say much. I tried to calm him down, but there was nothing I could do. The rest is what is summarized in the indictment.”
So?
«He headbutted me at nose level. Consider that one of our employees has told me several times over the past two years that he will never be able to forget the dull noise of the headboard reaching my nose.”
The documents also mention sexual violence. Possible: there, in front of everyone?
«It was another gesture that I will never forget. Before being hit by the headbutt, she put her hand in my private parts, I jumped and shouted that she should be ashamed of me, that I felt disgusted by that gesture. Then the blow to the nose, while he was brandishing a bottle of beer which luckily they snatched from his hand.”
Then what do you remember?
«The blood, the rescue. Difficulty breathing. The fear that someone in my family would be affected. The empty restaurant. The screams of the woman who accompanied the attacker – I think she was his wife – who on the one hand apologized to me for the man’s conduct, and on the other insisted with senseless accusations.”
Why do you think it is important to rely on a criminal trial?
«To eliminate impunity. Anyone who acts in a certain way, due to a very banal discussion, can repeat the conduct. He can do it again, attacking other helpless people unable to sustain a similar load of aggression. I hope that this experience can represent a strong deterrent to prevent other similar gestures, but also an example for those who suffer in silence. We must rely on justice, believe in the possibility of demonstrating the coherence of our conclusions and oppose all forms of violence. Believe me: it is painful, but becoming a civil party and coming out into the open is also a duty to protect the weakest.”
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© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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