A 49-year-old man from Vallo di Lauro, convicted of mistreating his two minor children, has been acquitted on appeal by the Naples Court of Appeal.
The IV Criminal Section of the Naples court reformed the judgment issued by the single-judge court of Avellino in March 2024 and acquitted the defendant because "the fact does not exist," accepting the arguments presented by the defence.
In the first-instance trial, the man had been accused of aggravated mistreatment of his two minor children and corruption of a minor. The Avellino court had sentenced him to two years' imprisonment, while prosecutors had requested three years and four months.
According to the charges reported at first instance, the alleged conduct included walking naked at home, engaging in autoerotic acts in the children's presence, and making the children sleep in a sleeping bag on a balcony as punishment during winter.
The detailed written reasons for the appeal court's acquittal were still awaited at the time of reporting. The defendant and the minors involved were not identified.
