The accusation is very heavy: eight of them allegedly beat a prisoner to death, also using batons which would then have been made to disappear. An alleged beating - on which the inspectors of the regional superintendency of prisons and the judiciary have investigated for months - which is very reminiscent of the scandal that recently exploded in Santa Maria Capua Vetere but which on the island involved nine prison officers serving in Uta and Badu 'e Carros, now in the crosshairs of the Nuoro prosecutor who has closed the preliminary investigation and is preparing to ask for indictment. A ninth agent is only accused of forgery.

The accusations

The disputed facts date back to 12 August last year, when the order to transfer the 36-year-old Albanian inmate Luca Leke to Nuoro arrived in the Uta prison. Once he arrived in Badu 'e Carros, during the registration phases, the agents of his escort and some Nuorese colleagues would beat him to death, causing him a prognosis of over 40 days. The medical report speaks of multiple injuries to the upper limbs, fracture of the radius of the left wrist, cuts, bruises, bruises and bumps on the head. The Nuorese prosecutor Riccardo Belfiori contested the aggravated injuries to agents Arnaldo Boi (53, from Capoterra), Alessandro Carta (49, from Serdiana), Graziano Falchi (58, from Bolotana), Gianfranco Antonio Farris (55, from Siniscola), Raffaele Medda (52, from Assemini), Augusto Adriano Ferrante (28, from Capoterra), Fabio Piras (50, from Gavoi) and Alessandro Virdis (47, from Bono). For all the Prosecutor also hypothesizes various aggravating circumstances: the use of batons, having acted in several people, as well as with cruelty and with unnecessary violence to contain the detainee. For all, then, there is the abuse of authority. In addition, the accusation of forgery is contested against Arnaldo Boi, Augusto Adriano Ferrante and Eduardo Leonardo (52, years of Assemini): they allegedly declared that the batons entered the prison in Nuoro only for a few moments, being immediately reported on the outside. These are sidearms that cannot enter except with the authorization of the director. In reality - for the prosecutor - they would have been used to beat up Luca Leke, accused in turn of threats. He would shout at the officers, "If you come one at a time, I'll kill you all," promising them retaliation.

The investigation

The investigation was triggered by the report sent to the Prosecutor's Office by the Superintendency for prisons following what was gradually emerging during the disciplinary measure initiated after the medical report. According to the few leaked rumors, it seems that on August 12 of last year a second inmate had scheduled medical examinations: so after the trip from Uta, instead of leaving Luca Leke in Badu 'e Carros and then continuing to the hospital, the escort of the prison police would have decided to stop earlier for visits. The wait may have made the prisoner nervous and exasperated the spirits. Once in prison, therefore, the beating with batons would have taken place. With the investigation closed, the Prosecutor's Office formally indicted eight agents (one only for forgery) for the injuries: part of the escort arrived from Uta with the young man and some of his colleagues from Nuoro who should have taken him over after registration. Now the documents will be made available to the defense lawyers who will be able to produce productions, present briefs or ask the prosecutor that their clients be questioned. Then the Prosecutor will decide whether to ask the judge for indictment.

Francesco Pinna

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