LUCCA. A long sequence of offenses and mistreatment against defenseless people unable to react. And in parallel the spoliation of personal assets including money and jewels with guests transformed into ATMs without their knowledge. It was November 2022 when the raid by the Carabinieri on Villa Debora, in Bagni di Lucca, revealed what was really happening in the family home renamed with a painful contrast, between expectation and reality, “Oasis of Peace”.
Asked for judgment
The Prosecutor’s Office is now asking for the two managers of the center to be sent to trial. For Vincenzo D’Isanto53 years old, originally from Castelfiorentino, e Debora Campanozzi53 years old, from San Severo (Foggia), with a long residence in Pesaro, the charges are of aggravated domestic abuse, circumvention of an incompetent person and embezzlement.
All the crimes contested in conjunction with the two, he as the de facto owner and she as an unemployed operator of that alleged place of assistance which wiretaps and testimonies describe on the contrary as an environment of harassment and insults, often unmentionable, towards the guests they had to look after.
The groping
Campanozzi is also responsible for sexual violence for a series of gropings in the private parts of some elderly people followed by vulgar appreciation even in the presence of other people.
The mistreated elderly
There are eight injured parties residing between Lucca, Bagni di Lucca, Pontedera, Gallicano, Cerreto Guidi, Coreglia Antelminelli, Fivizzano and Castelnuovo Garfagnana. Among the lawyers who will appear as a civil party before the preliminary hearing judge Antonia Aracri (pm Elena Leone) also the lawyer Valentina Nobile who assists a lady from Lucca.
The interceptions
What was happening at Villa Debora was not gathered from the voices of the guests. People with serious physical and mental problems who are unable to look after themselves.
It was the environmental interceptions carried out by the police, warned by occasional visitors to the facility that there was something murky, that provided context and dialogues filled with contempt with continuous mortification for the guests.
The aim, according to the prosecution, was to annihilate the patients in their vulnerability, threatened with physical violence (“I’ll break your legs”) and psychological violence such as not allowing them to meet their families again. A system that went on for months and which only through environmental interceptions was brought into focus in all its brutality.
Money and jewels
To the challenge of the climate of terror imposed in the so-called – outside – oasis of peace which took the name of Villa Debora, the investigators also add the part of the illegal profit charged to the two defendants. Having the availability of ATMs and guest pins, according to the accusation D’Isanto and Campanozzi would have withdrawn or arranged bank transfers for at least 30 thousand euros for purposes unrelated to the management of the family home.
The registered car
In one case, D’Isanto allegedly had a Panda worth 5 thousand euros registered in his name without paying anything to the elderly owner as well as the patient. Harassed and plundered, according to the hypotheses of the Prosecutor’s Office. And others like him too. He dozens of missing jewels, memories of guests with photos of loved ones set in gold medals.
Offenses and approaches
Finally, the part about sexual violence. It is the crime against only Campanozzi who was intercepted while she commented with obscene phrases on the groping of the breasts and private parts of more than one guest. All forced to suffer the sexual approaches of the woman during personal hygiene interventions.l
