Italian diplomats reacted with fury tonight after a Mafia don who had been on the run in England for 20 years was told he could stay at home and “live in peace with his family”.
Domenico Rancadore, a former boss of the feared Sicilian organised crime mob Cosa Nostra, had been hiding in Uxbridge, west London, until his arrest in 2013 sparked extradition proceedings.
The Italian Embassy berated the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for a series of blunders during the process that delayed court hearings until it was too late – Mr Randacore’s conviction ‘expired’ under Italian law last October it emerged on Wednesday.
The 65-year-old, known as ‘the Professor’ because he had been a PE teacher, was convicted in absentia by an Italian court in 1999. Despite being ordered by a British judge in February to return to Italy and face a seven-year jail term, Italian authorities confirmed they can no longer seek his extradition bringing the extraordinary 18 month legal battle to a bitter end.
Mr Rancadore’s solicitor Karen Todner said: “Domenico Rancadore’s sentence in Italy extinguished due to age of conviction. I have sent a consent order for the discharge of Mr Rancadore to the CPS to sign. There has been a long and unhappy history of these proceedings and I am delighted Mr Rancadore will now be able to live in peace in England with his wife and family.” WHAT THE FUCK DOES THAT MEAN?
Per i non credenti la prescrizione (Statute of Limitations) esiste pure nel diritto anglosassone.
Clax