Turin mayor guilty of negligence for deadly Juventus stampede

The mayor of the Italian city of Turin was convicted Wednesday in connection with a deadly stampede at the open-air screening of a Champions League football final in 2017.

Chiara Appendino was found guilty of criminal negligence and given a suspended 18-month jail term. 

The same sentence was handed to four other defendants, including Turin’s former police chief and Appendino’s former chief of staff. 

Two people died and more than 1,500 were injured in the stampede at the Piazza San Carlo, where 30,000 people had gathered to watch the final between local team Juventus and Real Madrid.

The panic was triggered a few minutes before the end of the match — a 4-1 victory for the Spanish side — by a team of robbers who doused the crowds with pepper spray. 

Four of them have already been jailed for 10 years for involuntary manslaughter. 

Appendino was criticised for not taking the safety measures required for such a large event, with Italian media highlighting the absence of emergency evacuation plans.

“This tragic story has deeply marked me,” the mayor wrote on Facebook on Wednesday.

“The pain for what happened that night is still alive and I will always carry it with me.”

Appendino said she accepted and respected the ruling, but would appeal it, noting she was being held responsible for events caused by the “crazy” acts of criminals.