Ten years in prison for carnival murder

A Locarno court has sentenced the two principal aggressors in the killing of a 22-year-old student during the town's 2008 carnival celebrations to ten years in prison.

A third man involved in the vicious attack received a two-and-a-half year sentence for assault. The judge and seven jurors deliberated for 13 hours before arriving at the verdicts.

The case was closely followed in the Italian-speaking region as the murder caused outrage in the community. In an unprovoked attack, the victim, Damiano Tamagni, was kicked and beaten as he lay on the ground.

The three aggressors of Croatian origin are aged 19, 22 and 20 and their foreign connection was the cause of public anger in demonstrations after the killing.

“The public pressure was enormous but we judged with our souls and conscience,” judge Mauro Ermani said after handing down the sentences.