Three years and one month for the attempted murder of his father. This was the ruling by preliminary hearing judge Sergio De Luca in yesterday's summary trial in Sassari against a 28-year-old man from Sassari. In early October 2024, the then 26-year-old was spending a peaceful day at the beach with his father and brother . But as soon as they returned to the city, in the Monte Rosello neighborhood, he got behind the wheel of a Clio and suddenly accelerated toward his father, striking him in the legs and crashing into a wall.
He immediately gets out of the car, brandishing a hammer and attempting to attack the man, but is disarmed by his brother. He himself calls for help, claiming he reacted because he was convinced his father wanted to kill him. The young man harbors this obsession, as defense attorney Paola Bellu said yesterday during the hearing, which is the culmination of a complex psychological condition that led him to a mental health center where he was diagnosed with a disorder.
The lawyer also emphasizes the circumstances of what happened two years ago, stating that, in her opinion, the charge should have been based on assault. In fact, the car's distance to reach the victim was only a few meters—the prognosis was five days—and, according to Bellu, there was no psychological element in any case. The proceedings, initiated ex officio and without the father's complaint, also included a psychiatric evaluation of the defendant, which found him to be competent . At the conclusion of the hearing, prosecutor Giovanni Porcheddu requested a sentence of four years and eight months, acknowledging, however, the 28-year-old's repentance, having spent a year in pre-trial detention, and considering mitigating circumstances to outweigh aggravating ones. Ultimately, the judge ruled, as written, for three years and one month. The defense attorney may appeal once the reasons for the sentence have been read.