Serious charges and a five-year acquittal arrived recently in court in Sassari. A 68-year-old man from the Sassari capital was charged with mistreatment and assault against a 59-year-old woman he had sheltered since 2020.
Both widowers shared his home, without any romantic ties, but according to the alleged victim, the relationship had turned into a quasi-slavery, with her as the victim. Hospitalized after a fall, she revealed to her caregivers that the man had harassed her from the moment they arrived at the home.
"He hits me," she said, "if I don't make lunch right away, and he hits me when he's unhappy with how I clean." In the two incidents alleged by the prosecutor, the defendant allegedly assaulted the woman, causing facial trauma and requiring 60 days of treatment.
During the trial, however, the 59-year-old's version began to crumble, given what was brought to light by defense lawyer Maria Domenica Camboni.
The lawyer highlights the woman's precarious health, perhaps due to alcohol consumption, which led her to lose her balance and hurt herself. But, above all, the various testimonies highlight how the woman's statements are often inconsistent and contradictory.
Furthermore, Camboni points out, there is a lack of evidence of the elderly man's persecutory conduct, so much so that in the end Judge Silvia Masala - the prosecutor was Antonio Piras - acquitted the defendant because the fact did not exist.