The defense attorney in a closely watched rape trial asserted that intense media scrutiny had endangered those involved. “This trial has reached such a critical level of media attention that it has even put the people involved at risk,” stated defense lawyer Mariano Mameli in court. He highlighted the case of Edoardo Capitta, an amateur coach for a Genoa parish team, who Mameli said was repeatedly called a rapist from the stands during games.
Mameli also challenged the prosecution’s handling of evidence, specifically the lack of preliminary evidence gathering (*incidente probatorio*). “Why wasn’t the girl, who was the only direct witness to what happened that night, heard first?” he questioned.
The defense attorney then presented the core of his argument: “What happened in that house on the night of July 16-17, 2019, was consensual. No one instrumentally extorted consent from anyone. This is the definitive conclusion we presented to the court today. We are convinced that none of the boys used violent means or coerced anyone’s will.”
Gennaro Velle, representing defendant Francesco Corsiglia alongside colleague Antonella Cuccureddu, expressed confidence after the defense team’s closing arguments. “The defense team has presented all the arguments, all the reasoning that can lead the court towards a full acquittal,” Velle stated.
Following the hearing, Cuccureddu emphasized inconsistencies in the case, pointing to three conflicting narratives of the events. “One version is the girl’s,” Cuccureddu explained, “another is that of the other five – meaning the four defendants plus the [female] friend – and then there is a third version, that of the prosecutor and the plaintiff, which takes part of what the girl says and contradicts the other half.”