Translated automatically by AI from the Italian original.
BASSANO DEL GRAPPA (VICENZA) / NEWS – It was the composure and courage of a nine-year-old girl that averted a tragic outcome. A desperate call to the emergency number 112 enabled officers from the National Police (Polizia di Stato) to intervene in Bassano del Grappa, where a 51-year-old Moroccan man was arrested on suspicion of domestic abuse.
The alarm was raised at around 1.40pm on Saturday. Patrol cars from the local police station found the mother and child in the street near a primary school. The woman, in a state of profound shock and in tears, had serious and visible injuries to her right arm and head. She was immediately treated by paramedics from the 118 service, who arranged for her to be taken to hospital.
The attack at lunchtime and the daughter’s brave act
According to the detailed account given by the child and verified by investigators, the violence erupted during lunch over trivial matters. The man turned on his wife, pushing her violently to the floor and slamming her head against the kitchen table, then stomping on her arm and trying to throw a chair at her.
At that point the girl found the strength to step between her parents to shield her mother. Although she was grabbed and roughly pushed aside by her father (fortunately without injury), the child managed to escape with her mother and call 112, describing what had happened to the operators with remarkable calm.
The arrest and a history of prolonged abuse
While the victim was being taken to hospital, the police raided the family home and found the 51-year-old in a clear state of psychological and physical impairment due to alcohol abuse. The man made spontaneous admissions to the officers.
Investigations revealed a painful and long-standing pattern of physical and psychological abuse spanning years. On the instructions of the duty public prosecutor at the Vicenza Public Prosecutor’s Office, the 51-year-old — already known to the police for numerous criminal and police records — was arrested and taken to prison pending a validation hearing.
This case once again highlights the crucial importance of prompt emergency response and institutional action in the face of the warning signs of gender-based and domestic violence.
