A KILLER who stabbed his girlfriend 57 times over a row about his sloppy eating has been freed from jail because he’s too fat.
The prison said they couldn’t provide the meals he needs to lose the weight and therefore they released him.
NewsflashDimitri Fricano, 36, killed his girlfriend, Erika Preti, after a row broke out about his eating habits[/caption]
Dimitri Fricano, 35, weighed 120kgs – almost 19 stone – when he was jailed for 30 years after admitting to the attack that happened in 2017.
Now, Turin Surveillance Court in Italy has freed him after just a year behind bars after judges heard his weight had ballooned to 200kgs – more than 31 stone.
He was arrested after the killing, but the long delays to trial in Italy and the delays from the Covid pandemic meant he was only finally convicted in 2022.
But now prison officials say Fricano’s health is at risk because they cannot provide the low-calorie diet he needs to slim down.
He is so heavy the court was told that he cannot even get around the prison building without crutches or a wheelchair.
Judges now say he can serve his sentence at his home in Biella, near Milan, where he can get a proper diet.
Fricano had admitted the brutal murder of his 25-year-old girlfriend Erika Preti when they rowed about him leaving crumbs on the table when he ate.
The pair had been on holiday in San Teodoro when they argued before going to the beach.
Fricano had claimed that Erika had hit him with a paperweight and he snatched up a knife and stabbed her dozens of times.
He had earlier told police she had been killed by robbers.
But he eventually admitted: “She insulted me for the bread and then hit me in the head. So I killed her.”
His defence lawyers also said he suffers from anxiety-depressive bulimia syndrome, personality disorder, and sleep apnea.
Doctors said he is at high risk of cardiovascular disease and needs to follow a special diet that the prison cannot provide.
According to the judges, he cannot remain incarcerated as his massive size and chain-smoking put him at an imminent risk of dying.
They said: “He needs assistance that cannot be provided in the institution.”
But the decision to free Fricano has infuriated Erika’s family.
Her father Fabrizio Preti told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera: “The house arrest for Dimitri? It’s a shameful decision.
“No one will give me back my little girl. But for us, the pain is still too strong for him to be released so soon.
“Time, they say, heals wounds, but not those of two parents who has had a daughter taken away.
“When some friends let me know, after reading it online, that Dimitri had been placed under house arrest, a wound reopened. It was like receiving a stab to the heart.
It was like receiving a stab to the heart
Fabrizio Preti
“His is a rare case. To think that not even the mafiosi receive this treatment.
“However, they assured me that if he were to recover, he would return to the cell. I don’t believe that is really very likely.”
Recently we told how chilling screams were heard as a mum was chased out of her home by a knifeman before being killed in front of her two kids in a “truly horrific” attack.
Neighbours claimed mum-of-two, Perseverance Ncube, raced into the street with her children in the early hours of Friday before collapsing on the street with stab wounds to the chest.
NewsflashFricano now weighs 200kgs and has now been freed from prison due to his weight[/caption]
NewsflashPreti’s father told an Italian newspaper ‘It’s a shameful decision’[/caption]
HOW YOU CAN GET HELP:
Women’s Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
Always keep your phone nearby.
Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
If you are in danger, call 999.
Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – messageinfo@supportline.org.uk.
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service – available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.