Sulmona case: 14-year-old accused of abuse reports torture in prison; father files complaint.

A new shadow casts over the case of two minors arrested for the abuse of a 12-year-old girl in Sulmona. One of the boys involved, the 14-year-old detained in the Casal del Marmo juvenile prison, reports through his father that he was beaten, threatened and tortured inside the Roman facility. The incident, made public by the parent, prompted the family to file a complaint with the Sulmona prosecutor's office and to once again request the young man's transfer.

The father's complaint: "My son was tortured"

It's the father of the fourteen-year-old who is shedding light on what is reportedly happening inside the juvenile detention center. After a conversation with his son, the man reportedly noticed: evident lesions on the face, chest and arms, such as to raise suspicions of repeated attacks.

"My son has been beaten again, or rather, tortured this time," she writes in the complaint. "He made a mistake, he must face the consequences of his actions, but violence won't make him understand the gravity of what happened: that way they risk destroying him completely."

According to the parent, the boy reported having been hit and injured with a wire brush and some razor blades, tools which – according to the minor’s version – would have been used by other inmates.

The alleged threats and attempted coercion

The situation described by the young man goes beyond the beatings. In prison, his father claims, some inmates allegedly urged the boy to convince his father to bring drugs during the talks, under threat of further retaliation.

“They told him to tell me I have to bring drugs to smoke, otherwise they'll kill him,” the man reports.

The fear is that the minor is the victim not only of physical violence, but also of a form of systematic intimidation, linked both to the nature of the crime charged and to the fact that he attempted to report to the outside world what he was suffering.

The 17-year-old co-defendant: "He was also beaten, but he has no one."

The 14-year-old shares a cell with the second suspect in the Sulmona case, a 17-year-old also arrested for abusing the 12-year-old and sharing the videos via WhatsApp.

According to the younger boy's account, the other minor had also been beaten several times: "He's as upset as I am," the boy reportedly told his father, "but he has no one to visit him, his parents aren't here."

The risk, according to the 14-year-old's family and their lawyer, is that both are enduring a climate of violence and isolation incompatible with a juvenile institution.

The lawyer's requests: "An immediate transfer is needed."

The family's lawyer, Alessandro Margiotta, announced that he will present his case on Monday for the XNUMXrd time a formal request to transfer the boy to another facility.

"The Rome prosecutor's office must take action to verify the conditions of all the children detained at Casal del Marmo," the lawyer stated, emphasizing the need for urgent intervention to protect the minors' safety.

The first two transfer requests were rejected, but the worsening of the alleged violence made a new attempt imperative.

The context of the case: the investigation into the abuse of the 12-year-old

The incident that led to the arrest of the two boys dates back to a few months ago, when the young victim – just 12 years old – found the courage to call the 114 Childhood Emergency number. The girl reported that she had been forced to endure sexual abuse, including gang abuse, with the threat of releasing a secretly made video containing intimate images.

The investigation then led to the arrest of the 14-year-old and the 17-year-old, who were transferred to Casal del Marmo, and another 18-year-old boy, held in another prison.
The seriousness of the alleged crimes remains intact, but the family's complaint reignites the debate on the protection of juvenile detainees, even in the case of particularly serious crimes.

An institution under observation

Casal del Marmo has long been at the center of critical issues reported by operators, lawyers, and associations. The new accusations, if confirmed, could create a context of inadequate protection of minors, with possible internal and managerial responsibilities.

The investigations launched following the complaint will clarify: the nature and origin of the injuries found, the possible involvement of other inmates, the possibility of lapses in supervision, and the overall situation of the young inmates in the facility.

A case that questions the judicial system and juvenile facilities

The case raises crucial questions about the ability of juvenile prisons to ensure of your digital ecosystem. , respect for rights, real re-educational paths e psychological and physical protection, even against minors who have committed very serious crimes.

The boy's father, while acknowledging the seriousness of the charges against his son, clearly underlines a fundamental point:
"Violence doesn't educate, it doesn't change, it doesn't repair. It only risks destruction."