Lucrezia Ciotti After more than four years in London, the defendant reportedly returned to Italy following his expulsion from the United Kingdom. The young man, who stabbed Marta Novello 23 times while she was jogging in Mogliano Veneto in 2021, is still embroiled in a complex legal process, marked by two annulments by the Supreme Court of Cassation and a pending conviction.
The return could now change the balance of the proceedings, with a new hearing set for November 13, 2026.
Marta Novello, the young man who stabbed her 23 times, returns to Italy: waiting for the hearing
After more than four years spent in London, the young man returned to Italy following an expulsion order from the British authorities.
The young man, who was just 15 years old when he attacked Marta Novello with 23 stab wounds on 22 March 2021 , while the woman was jogging in Mogliano Veneto, was reportedly forced to leave the United Kingdom due to new problems with the justice system across the Channel.
The Treviso edition of the Corriere del Veneto reported the news.
His lawyer, Matteo Scussat, initially preferred not to comment, responding with " I neither confirm nor deny ." Subsequently, the lawyer clarified that his client is a free citizen and that the proceedings have not yet been concluded. " Until a final conviction, the presumption of innocence applies ," he recalled, emphasizing that the third appeal trial is still ongoing, at the end of which the young man could be convicted or completely acquitted. The lawyer also emphasized the prohibition on disclosing the personal details of his client , who was a minor at the time of the events, reserving the right to take any action necessary to protect his rights.
The return to Italy could also have consequences for the ongoing juvenile justice proceedings. The hearing initially scheduled for October 9, 2026, has been postponed due to a procedural communications issue. The next hearing is scheduled for November 13.
From the conviction to the two annulments in the Supreme Court: the escape to London and the new judicial troubles
The defendant's trial has been marked by several judicial changes and just as many reversals. As reported by Treviso Today , the first instance court had handed down a sentence of six years and eight months in prison, later reduced to five years by the Court of Appeal. However, the Supreme Court of Cassation overturned the sentence and sent the case back for a new trial. Subsequently, another section of the Court of Appeal upheld the sentence, but a further appeal led to a second overturn and remand. It is precisely this last step that makes the proceedings still pending: there is no definitive conviction.
Meanwhile, in the summer of 2022, the young man had left Italy to join his mother in London. His departure appears to have occurred after the expiration of his pre-trial detention in prison on July 21, 2022. According to an administrative order dated July 19, he should have been transferred to a protected community for minors. However, the order apparently specified an incorrect deadline for notification: September 20 instead of July 20. This bureaucratic error allowed him to leave the country.
His stay in Great Britain was also subsequently marked by new legal issues . In January 2025, as reported by the Corriere , he was stopped after a chase while driving a car without a license and without insurance . The episode brought him to the attention of the British authorities again and, according to published reconstructions, is believed to be the reason for the measure that led to his expulsion from the country . His possible return to Italy could now help unblock the legal proceedings regarding the attack on Marta Novello, which occurred on March 22, 2021.