Four years and eleven months in prison for raping, beating and abusing his ex-partner. The sentence against a 49-year-old personal trainer from Riccione, found guilty of a long series of acts of violence against the woman with whom he had a relationship, has now become final.
The final word came on Thursday 22 October from the Third Criminal Section of the Court of Cassation, which declared inadmissible the appeal filed by the man’s defence, represented by lawyer Stefano Caroli. The 49-year-old will now go to prison: the sentence is final and, given the nature of the crimes, there is no provision for the ordinary suspension of its execution.
Domestic abuse, sexual violence, assault, battery and threats. These are the crimes for which the man was convicted. It was a story marked by beatings, humiliation, jealousy and constant control, with the woman — according to what emerged during the trial — finding herself trapped in a relationship defined by fear and domination.
Among the most serious episodes was one that took place on 10 November 2020. It began with a seemingly trivial argument over the choice of a home internet plan. The dispute escalated. The man prevented his partner from leaving, dragged her into the bedroom, tore off her clothes and forced her to have sex, despite her crying and repeatedly begging him to stop.
During that assault, the 49-year-old also uttered a phrase that would become central to the trial: «It feels like I’m raping you». Words the defendant himself would later admit to having said.
But that episode was not an isolated case. According to the judges’ findings, the relationship had become a continuous imposition of rules and prohibitions. He insisted on controlling her phone, decided how she should dress, who she could go out with, and which photos she could post on social media.
Even her relationships with friends and family were subject to his demands.
Even her daily movements had to answer to his will.
And when arguments broke out, they often turned physical.
On 12 January 2021, during a quarrel, the man violently pushed his partner out of their home. The woman fell, suffering a fractured sacrum with a 30-day recovery period. A little over a month later, on 14 February, another assault left her with injuries to her left arm.
Over the course of the relationship there were further episodes of beatings and threats. One particularly disturbing incident saw the man threaten to burn her face with a hot hair-straightening iron.
The events were reconstructed through the victim’s testimony and a series of elements presented during the trial: medical certificates, witness statements, messages, audio recordings, and even a personal diary in which the woman had recorded the episodes she experienced during the relationship.
These elements allowed the judges to piece together a story of physical, sexual and psychological abuse, in which jealousy had turned into a demand for total control over every aspect of his partner’s life.
The first verdict was issued on 26 September 2024 by the Court of Rimini, with a panel presided over by Judge Adriana Cosenza, alongside judges Luca Gessaroli and Elisa Giallombardo. Prosecutor Luca Bertuzzi also took part in the proceedings.
The conviction was later upheld by the Court of Appeal of Bologna on 28 January 2026. The defence’s final attempt to overturn the ruling was rejected by the Court of Cassation, bringing the legal proceedings to a definitive close.
The woman, who filed as a civil plaintiff and was represented throughout all stages of the trial by lawyer Mattia Lancini of the Rimini Bar, was also awarded 16,300 euros in damages.
«Before finding the courage to come forward, my client was above all afraid of not being believed», said lawyer Mattia Lancini.
«The trial proved that a person’s credibility is not measured by their vulnerability, but by the rigour with which the facts are examined. Her account was subjected to a thorough review and was confirmed by a wide range of independent evidence.
For her, this closes a deeply painful chapter, but above all it strengthens a trust in justice that, at the start of this journey, she feared she would never find. And that, even more than the sentence handed down, is the most important meaning of this decision».
