Six years of imprisonment. This is the sentence inflicted on Daniela Maggio, the 37-year-old woman who attacked the doctor on 6 December 2023. Gianluca Piemontese, psychiatrist at the Mental Health Center of Cerignola. At the hearing held yesterday, the Judge for the preliminary hearing of Foggia, Francesca Mannini, sentenced the woman who was also charged with the crime of stalking a social worker, damaging the premises, interrupting public service and resistance to a public official.
The prosecutor had requested a sentence of eight years and eight months in prison. In addition to the victims, the Foggia Local Health Authority also joined the civil action. The woman, still held in prison, had asked to be judged with an abbreviated trial, conditional on the completion of a psychiatric evaluation. The expert appointed by the judge, Dr. Elio Serra, considered the accused capable of understanding and wanting at the time of the facts.
As mentioned, the facts date back to last December 6, when the woman went to the Cerignola CSM where she was being treated, armed with a switchblade, attempting to slash the psychiatrist, who was held responsible for having caused the emission of a judicial order to remove the minor daughter.
“The sentence inflicted by the Gup, severe but fair, is a very important signal in the current historical period. The news of the last few weeks tells, in fact, of repeated attacks on medical and paramedical staff, who are experiencing a real state of exasperation”commented the lawyer. Michele Vaira, defender of the main victim, Dr. Piedmontese.
“The judicial response – added the lawyer – demonstrates that episodes of this kind cannot and must not be underestimated, or dismissed as moments of user frustration. The story, in any case, offers the opportunity to seriously reflect on the working and safety conditions of psychiatrists, who by their nature face extremely complex situations on a daily basis with a lack of resources.”
