An Italian businesswoman has been sentenced to 18 years in prison after she chased the man who stole her bag and killed him by driving over him several times. After recovering her belongings, she returned to the restaurant where she had been attacked.
Cinzia Dal Pino ran over the person who stole her bag with her car. PHOTO: rainews video capture
The incident that ultimately led to the conviction of an Italian businesswoman took place in September 2024, in the city of Viareggio, and started with the theft of a bag. Cinzia Dal Pino, a 65-year-old woman, well-known in the local business community, had just had a meal in a restaurant and was preparing to leave, when she claims she was attacked by a 52-year-old man, a Moroccan citizen, Noureddine “Said” Mezgui, who allegedly grabbed her bag and ran down the street.
Instead of calling the police, Cinzia Dal Pino got into her Mercedes SUV and started chasing the man. The images on the surveillance cameras in the area captured the exact moment when she catches up with him with the car, hits him, knocking him to the ground, and then reverses and forwards, running over the man who had stolen his bag several times, reports rainews.
After the man stops moving at all, Cinzia Dal Pino gets out of the car, retrieves her bag and leaves the scene, as if nothing had happened.
The incident was reported by several witnesses, who called the emergency services, but the medical teams that arrived at the scene could only confirm the death of the 52-year-old man, who had been crushed by the car.
During the trial, Cinzia Dal Pino tried to justify her act claiming that she reacted in this way because she feared for her life. She stated that she did not intend to kill the man, but only to recover her bag, in which she had important documents and the house keys, as well as the phone, which is why she could not have called the police.
“He threatened to kill me with a knife. I was scared. I didn’t want to kill him, just to get my things back. I had important documents in my bag and I couldn’t call the police because the phone was there.” she defended herself.
The magistrates were not very convinced by the woman’s arguments, all the more so since the police specified that no knife was found on the man.
The defense also invoked the medico-legal conclusions, according to which the first hit with the car would have been fatal, considering that the fact that Cinzia Dal Pino drove over her victim several times would be less relevant, because the death had already occurred anyway.
“From what I understand from the autopsy report, it was the initial impact that proved fatal and there are no tire marks on the body. She only tried to stop him and kick him in the legs. She suffers for what she did and is full of remorse.” argued the lawyer of the businesswoman.
However, the court did not accept the arguments and rejected the request to reclassify the act as self-defense or manslaughter, considering that the woman’s reaction was not one of fear, but of revenge. All the more so since, during the investigation, it also came to light that, immediately after killing the man who had stolen her bag and recovering her belongings, Cinzia Dal Pino did not immediately alert the authorities, but first returned to the restaurant where she had dined, to return a borrowed umbrella.
The case sparked strong reactions in Italy and Morocco, where the victim’s family criticized the way the situation was handled and called for a harsher sentence.
“Not even an animal is killed in this way. We demand justice for our brother. Cinzia Dal Pino must remain in prison“said the victim’s sisters.
“She drove over him four times, then quietly walked away while he was dying and didn’t even call for help.” they also said.
Divided reactions in Italy
In Italy, the case and the images from the incident generated numerous reactions, most of them condemning the woman’s gesture, perceived as a cruel revenge.
“Beyond the issue of self-defense, the images show shocking behavior.
How can you drive over a man’s body multiple times? How could we believe that a quiet and respected lady, an acclaimed entrepreneur, could do such a thing?
Evil wins when it turns us into bad people too. Those who gloat and consider this to be a case of self-defense demonstrate just that.
I say let’s not rejoice. It’s not self-defense and it’s not justice. Nothing, absolutely nothing can justify a murder.
Not only because we live in a state of law, but because every person, regardless of their situation, has the right to live”, said the archbishop of Lucca, Paolo Giulietti.
On the other hand, Italy’s deputy prime minister, Matteo Salvini, believes that the blame belongs to the victim.
“This drama is the consequence of a crime. If the man who lost his life had not been a criminal, this would not have happened.” wrote the politician on Facebook.
