A jeweller convicted for killing armed robbers after they left his shop has far-right deputies in Italy falling over themselves to defend him ahead of next year's general election.
Mario Roggero, 72, was sentenced last week to nearly 15 years in jail for killing robbers who had held his family at gun-point in 2021. The guns proved to be fakes.
As they carried off the loot, Roggero followed them. He shot one thief dead in the getaway car, before catching and beating to death a second one. The third, shot in the leg, survived.
The case has triggered calls for an easing of the law on legitimate defence from both Italy's new far-right political force, National Future (FN), and the League, a member of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's ruling coalition, which has been hemorrhaging support.
Both the League and FN submitted bills to parliament this week.
