The Juvenile Court of Naples has acquitted a young man accused over a car reported stolen in Montoro in 2020, ruling that the alleged offence did not constitute a crime.
The defendant was sixteen at the time of the events. His name was not published in the reports of the proceedings.
According to the accounts of the case, the car was intercepted by the Carabinieri station in Montoro. When the patrol approached, the teenager allegedly got out of the vehicle and fled toward a mountainous area, while an adult passenger remained inside.
The car belonged to a Montoro-based entrepreneur and was later returned to him.
Under the passenger seat, officers found a knife about 27 centimetres long and an axe about 70 centimetres long. The court also acquitted the defendant in connection with the possession of those items.
The defence argued that there was insufficient proof that the young defendant knew the car had been obtained unlawfully. The prosecution had requested a two-year prison sentence, citing specific previous convictions.
The acquittal was issued by the juvenile court sitting as a panel. The court's detailed written reasoning was expected to be filed within 90 days, and it was not available in the reporting used for this article.
