E
EROS
Guest
The HEH crowd is NOT going to like this story
ROME (Reuters) - A Sicilian Mafia man who has been behind bars in a strict isolation regime for a decade has announced he will soon be a proud "papa."
The 40-year-old man, named only as G.R., and his 37-year-old partner are expecting a baby early next year, more than 10 years before the convicted mobster is due to be released, Italian newspapers reported on Wednesday.
The amazing fatherhood feat was achieved with the help of science and a nod of approval from the government.
Under the "41 bis" prison regime, introduced after the Mafia murders in 1992 of star magistrates Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, mob bosses are isolated from other prisoners and put behind glass when a family member visits.
But after seven years of appeals to the Justice Ministry, G.R. was authorized to bear a child with his partner through artificial means -- the first time a Mafia prisoner has been granted the privilege.
After repeated efforts, G.R.'s partner finally succeeded in getting pregnant using in vitro fertilization, with the couple's lawyer mediating.
"It was a unique experience. The technical time periods were limited and it was a desperate and continuous effort in which all have participated with considerable sensitivity," the lawyer Alessia Bonanno told "La Repubblica."
G.R., behind bars in the maximum security Le Costarelle penitentiary in L'Aquila in the center of Italy, will be allowed to hold the baby for 10 minutes per month once it is born.
In another high-profile case, two Mafia brothers impregnated their wives while in prison even without government permission.
The men, Giuseppe and Filippo Graviano, claim the family had set up a private sperm bank in the event they were arrested, but some investigators suspect lawyers for the brothers smuggled their sperm out of prison.
ROME (Reuters) - A Sicilian Mafia man who has been behind bars in a strict isolation regime for a decade has announced he will soon be a proud "papa."
The 40-year-old man, named only as G.R., and his 37-year-old partner are expecting a baby early next year, more than 10 years before the convicted mobster is due to be released, Italian newspapers reported on Wednesday.
The amazing fatherhood feat was achieved with the help of science and a nod of approval from the government.
Under the "41 bis" prison regime, introduced after the Mafia murders in 1992 of star magistrates Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, mob bosses are isolated from other prisoners and put behind glass when a family member visits.
But after seven years of appeals to the Justice Ministry, G.R. was authorized to bear a child with his partner through artificial means -- the first time a Mafia prisoner has been granted the privilege.
After repeated efforts, G.R.'s partner finally succeeded in getting pregnant using in vitro fertilization, with the couple's lawyer mediating.
"It was a unique experience. The technical time periods were limited and it was a desperate and continuous effort in which all have participated with considerable sensitivity," the lawyer Alessia Bonanno told "La Repubblica."
G.R., behind bars in the maximum security Le Costarelle penitentiary in L'Aquila in the center of Italy, will be allowed to hold the baby for 10 minutes per month once it is born.
In another high-profile case, two Mafia brothers impregnated their wives while in prison even without government permission.
The men, Giuseppe and Filippo Graviano, claim the family had set up a private sperm bank in the event they were arrested, but some investigators suspect lawyers for the brothers smuggled their sperm out of prison.
