Turin court rejects request to release jeweller Mario Roggero
A court in Turin, Italy, has rejected a request to release 72-year-old jeweller Mario Roggero, who was imprisoned in July after being sentenced to 14 years and nine months. ANSA English reports.
Defence request
Roggero’s lawyers asked for the execution of the sentence to be postponed or for him to be transferred to house arrest pending a decision by Italian President Sergio Mattarella on a possible pardon. The prosecution opposed the request, and the court did not grant it.
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Case circumstances and politicians’ reaction
Roggero was convicted for shooting dead two robbers and wounding a third in 2021 as they fled after robbing his shop. The case sparked broad public debate in Italy. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the jeweller’s punishment “disproportionate,” while several government members called for him to be granted a presidential pardon.
Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini visited Roggero in prison several times. His League party introduced a bill to amend the self-defence law so that it would apply to any response immediately following an armed attack in a home or shop. At the same time, the League’s coalition partners from the centre-right Forza Italia party received the initiative coolly.
