Graziano Mesina

Graziano Mesina (born 1941/1942)[1] is an Italian bandit. He has escaped the authorities at least ten times.[1][2] He was called the "king of the kidnappers" by The New York Times in 1992.[3] There have been books, songs, and at least one film about him.[1]

Graziano Mesina

Biography

Mesina's father was a shepherd in the Barbagia region of Sardinia. He was first arrested at 14 years old for having a stolen rifle,[4] and released with a warning. Four years later, Mesina was again arrested. He was released that same year, but shortly arrested and sent back to prison for attempted murder. He escaped from a prison train in 1962, but was re-captured. That same year he escaped again, this time from a prison hospital. Mesina shot the brother of a man who he thought killed his brother, and was sent to prison for 24 years.[5]

Mesina escaped from prison in 1966 with Miguel Atienza by climbing over a 7.3 m (24 ft) wall and began a kidnapping spree.[4][5] He was arrested on 26 March 1968, after a 10 million lira reward was offered. That same year, The New York Times described him as "Italy's most-wanted bandit".[6] After he was arrested a crowd of schoolgirls gathered at the police station with cards saying "I love you" on them.[4] The Tough and the Mighty (1969) is based on his life.[7] In 1970, he watched Cagliari Calcio play football while dressed as a woman.[4] In August 1976, Mesina broke out of Lecce prison with a group of Italian mafia. On 16 March 1977 he was re-captured.[4][8] He again escaped in 1985, after leaving on a visit to his mother. In 1992, Mesina helped secure the release of Farouk Kassam, who had been kidnapped. The next year he was arrested again.[3][5]

On 24 November 2004,[5] then-President of Italy Carlo Azeglio Ciampi pardoned Mesina, believing he "would turn over a new leaf".[4] That year he had been in prison for a total of forty years.[5] Mesina returned to Sardinia and opened a tourism company. In 2013, he was again arrested, allegedly for setting up a drug network. The Daily Telegraph reported that he "offered no resistance".[4] Three years later, his presidential pardon was revoked. Mesina was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2018 and as of July 2020 was a fugitive from the police.[1][9]

References
  1. "At 78, a Sardinian ex-kidnapper is on the run". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  2. "Grapes of Wrath Soak Bloody Sardinian Town". Hartford Courant. 28 November 1962. p. 41. Retrieved 21 July 2020 – via Newspapers.com .
  3. Cowell, Alan (24 August 1992). "Orgosolo Journal; Where Kings of the Mountains Are Kidnappers". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  4. Kington, Tom (11 June 2013). "Sardinian bandit hero returns to his criminal ways". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  5. Penner, Martin. "Sardinia's favourite bandit is pardoned after 40 years in jail". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  6. "Italy's No. 1 Bandit Taken as Gangs Ask Ransom of Province". The New York Times. 27 March 1968.
  7. Guido Melis; Antonello Mattone; Manlio Brigaglia. La Sardegna: enciclopedia, Volume 2. Edizioni della Torre, 1994. ISBN 8873432611.
  8. "Sardinian Captured". The Washington Post. 17 March 1977.
  9. "Graziano Mesina missing after getting 30-yr term - English". ANSA.it. 3 July 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.