The warning from the Police Commissioner a month ago was not enough to stop a 74-year-old pensioner from his violent conduct. Already last month, the man had attacked her partner, 24 years younger than her, preventing her from using the telephone to ask for help and threatening her with a kitchen knife. The woman, terrified, had fled into the street, where some passers-by, recognizing the seriousness of the situation, had called the police.
Flying Squad investigations
Based on that episode and other precedents, the Flying Squad had started investigations under the delegation of the Public Prosecutor’s Office. However, in recent days, the man has tried to minimize the facts and tried to convince his partner not to formally proceed.
Request for help and police intervention
The woman contacted in tears the police officer of the Flying Squad who had collected her first testimony, expressing her desire not to proceed against the man, even though she was still romantically linked to him. The policeman perceived that the phone call, made in a low tone of voice, could be a cry for help, suspecting the presence of her partner in the house.
New attack and arrest
When the woman was contacted again by telephone, she admitted that her partner was present and implied that she had been attacked again. While the policeman remained on the phone to reassure her, other officers went to the couple’s home. Upon her arrival, the woman, still in tears, complained of pain in her side and head, showing a bruise on her arm. She was taken to Sant’Antonio Hospital, where she was hospitalized for a rib fracture with a prognosis of 21 days.
Precautionary measures
The man, who admitted having jerked her and hit her in the shoulder “for educational purposes”, was arrested and taken to the police headquarters. Following the validation of the arrest, the Judge for Preliminary Investigations, at the request of the Prosecutor’s Office, confirmed his stay in the Padua prison.
