ROME PRISON FATALITY 'ARRIVED WITH INJURIES'

ROME PRISON FATALITY 'ARRIVED WITH INJURIES'

(ANSA) - Rome, November 6 - A Rome man who died of injuries and dehydration after a week in police custody suffered his injuries before arriving in prison, infirmary doctors said Friday.

Testifying before a parliamentary committee probing the death of 31-year-old Stefano Cucchi, three doctors at Rome's Regina Coeli prison said Carabinieri police brought him into custody on October 16 with "severe bruises on his face, a spine injury and a possible concussion".

The doctors allegedly asked to brain scan to determine if there was any damage to his central nervous system, but he refused to give them permission.

Cucchi was arrested in mid-October for possession of a small quantity of drugs and detained in a Rome prison.

His parents said he was in good health before he was arrested but appeared in court the next day with black eyes and his face covered with bruises.

Both the Carabinieri police who arrested Cucchi and the staff at Regina Coeli prison deny responsibility for his injuries, which included two broken vertebrae and damage to his internal organs.

A coroner's report has also showed Cucchi was severely dehydrated at the time of his death.

Doctors described him as being "uncooperative during his time in custody" and said he refused their attempts to treat him.

Cucchi's family have contested this version of events and demanded proof that he wouldn't authorize staff to give his relatives information about his condition.

The parliamentary inquiry is part of a two-pronged investigation into Cucchi's death announced on Tuesday by Justice Minister Angelino Alfano, one focusing on how he received his injuries and the other on his treatment in hospital.

Cucchi's death is one of three cases in recent weeks to raise questions about conditions in Italian prisons, including a leftist terrorist who hanged herself over the weekend and a recorded conversation between prison guards talking about beating up prisoners.