NAPLES – After allegedly physically abusing his wife for more than 20 years, a drunken 56-year-old Neapolitan was finally arrested after his two sons locked him out on the balcony to stop him from attacking their mother, police have said. It is a drama that has captured the attention of Italian national media, marking a break from the usual family complicity in cases of abuse.

 Police were called at around 1 a.m. Thursday after neighbours saw the man attempting to enter the house through the balcony and trying to unlock the windows. They told the police that it looked like someone inside was doing all they could to prevent the man from entering.

 He was heard threatening his wife, saying “I am going to slit your throat and throw the pieces in a suitcase.” When the police arrived, he told them that they better arrest him otherwise he would beat them up and “burn everything.”

 At 4 p.m. on Wednesday, the woman had been found unresponsive on the garage floor. The husband alleged he had found her there after returning home; however, the sons believe he had hit her.

 She was taken to hospital, where she was later discharged. She left in her husband’s car, with her sons following in another car. On the way home, the sons saw their parents’ car pulled over and witnessed the 56-year-old slapping his wife. 

 The sons managed to return home with their mother and barricaded all entrances to the house, including windows.

 None of the family have been identified.

 The man will have to respond to charges of domestic abuse and threatening a public official.

 Meanwhile, a 46-year-old woman has been arrested in Martinengo, located in the Bergamo region, for stabbing her husband to death. 

 khg