Mongelli case
Encyclopedia
Michele Mongelli is a man from Turin
, Italy
, who was arrested on March 27, 2009, for allegedly sexually abusing
his daughter over 25 years. His son Giuseppe (born 1968) was also arrested on the allegation of abusing his sister and his own four daughters. Because of the similarities, this case has been compared to the Fritzl case
in Austria
and the Sheffield incest case
in Britain
.
The 34-year-old daughter was given the pseudonym
of Laura by the Italian press and other media. The victims had been kept in conditions of slavery and mistreatment. Laura is the eldest of nine children. She and her four nieces are being given psychiatric help.
Laura had been forced to live in a dark room with no electricity since the age of nine. She had little education over the 25 years she was held captive. The only time she was allowed out of the room she was kept in was when her father took her out.
At one point she was able to escape and go to the police. At that point her father convinced authorities that she was lying. She was questioned by psychologists and they agreed with her father about her condition.
Before she was rescued authorities acting on a tip planted listening devices in the family home and car. They heard talk of what was happening in the home.
Pietro Forno, who was the prosecutor leading the case, said the following:
"I have dealt with many incest
cases but this is the worst that I have seen because it lasted for 25 years and also because the main victim is 34-years-old. I don't want to blame the psychologists who were relied on in 1994 but it's clear that the signs were there and not acted upon at the time when clearly they should have been.
However when acted upon again the interceptions and secret recordings proved vital in this case and they make for shocking listening as the abuse can quite clearly be heard. There was a syndrome in this case where the father believed it was his right to abuse his daughter and he then passed this onto his son who abused his sister and his own children.
Some of the officers involved were particularly affected and these are investigators who have been dealing with incest cases for years."
Cases of children kept in captivity
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, who was arrested on March 27, 2009, for allegedly sexually abusing
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
his daughter over 25 years. His son Giuseppe (born 1968) was also arrested on the allegation of abusing his sister and his own four daughters. Because of the similarities, this case has been compared to the Fritzl case
Fritzl case
The Fritzl case emerged in April 2008 when a 42-year-old woman, Elisabeth Fritzl , stated to police in the town of Amstetten, Austria, that she had been held captive for 24 years in a concealed corridor part of the basement area of the family home, a condominium-style apartment complex built by her...
in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and the Sheffield incest case
Sheffield incest case
The Sheffield incest case concerns the conviction in November 2008 in Sheffield Crown Court of a 54-year-old English businessman who, undetected over a period of 25 years, committed incestuous rape of his two daughters, fathering seven surviving children with them...
in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
The 34-year-old daughter was given the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
of Laura by the Italian press and other media. The victims had been kept in conditions of slavery and mistreatment. Laura is the eldest of nine children. She and her four nieces are being given psychiatric help.
Laura had been forced to live in a dark room with no electricity since the age of nine. She had little education over the 25 years she was held captive. The only time she was allowed out of the room she was kept in was when her father took her out.
At one point she was able to escape and go to the police. At that point her father convinced authorities that she was lying. She was questioned by psychologists and they agreed with her father about her condition.
Before she was rescued authorities acting on a tip planted listening devices in the family home and car. They heard talk of what was happening in the home.
Pietro Forno, who was the prosecutor leading the case, said the following:
"I have dealt with many incest
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
cases but this is the worst that I have seen because it lasted for 25 years and also because the main victim is 34-years-old. I don't want to blame the psychologists who were relied on in 1994 but it's clear that the signs were there and not acted upon at the time when clearly they should have been.
However when acted upon again the interceptions and secret recordings proved vital in this case and they make for shocking listening as the abuse can quite clearly be heard. There was a syndrome in this case where the father believed it was his right to abuse his daughter and he then passed this onto his son who abused his sister and his own children.
Some of the officers involved were particularly affected and these are investigators who have been dealing with incest cases for years."
See also
- Fritzl caseFritzl caseThe Fritzl case emerged in April 2008 when a 42-year-old woman, Elisabeth Fritzl , stated to police in the town of Amstetten, Austria, that she had been held captive for 24 years in a concealed corridor part of the basement area of the family home, a condominium-style apartment complex built by her...
, a similar incident in Austria.
Cases of children kept in captivity