A Foreign Affairs Committee investigation found it it was ‘difficult to understand’ how the disgraced peer was handed the plum Washington role, citing concerns about national security

The Peter Mandelson appointment as US ambassador was an “unmitigated disaster” that damaged Britain in the “eyes of the world ”, a damning report has found.

A Foreign Affairs Committee investigation found it was “difficult to understand” how the disgraced peer was handed the plum Washington role, citing concerns about national security.

Keir Starmer sacked him in September 2025 after fresh revelations over his friendship with the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, but the scandal refused to go away and deeply damaged the soon-to-be former PM.

The influential Westminster committee found the process was not followed, and are now calling for no public appointments to be announced or made without the appropriate security clearance first being granted.

They argue when a Prime Minister wishes to make a specific appointment, they should always consult the Head of Diplomatic Service and the Foreign Secretary. The report also called for a new process of appointments, and for the diligence report to always be shared with the hiring department.

OPINION

Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Dame Emily Thornberry MP, said: “Despite my Committee’s extensive scrutiny and evidence gathering, and the thousands of pages published via the Humble Address, there are still unanswered questions as to how someone so clearly unfit was appointed British Ambassador to the United States.

“Mandelson’s appointment was an unmitigated disaster for the country. It should never have been allowed to happen, and it cannot ever be repeated. To prevent anything similar from happening again, no public appointments should be made without security vetting having already taken place.

“With the appointment announced, Mandelson on the payroll, and constant pressure from No. 10, it is no wonder that some civil servants in the Foreign Office felt the appointment was a forgone conclusion. But when our nation’s security is at stake, there can be no exceptions made, regardless of the individual’s public profile or sense of pressure.

“Peter Mandelson’s appointment has been highly damaging for the Government, painful and offensive to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein and it has diminished our country in the eyes of the world.”

Sir Olly Robbins, who was sacked by the PM, previously claimed the Government was ‘dismissive’ of vetting Lord Mandelson – and claimed he was ordered to find a job for a key Starmer aide.

Earlier this year a vast trove of private WhatsApps and emails revealed Mr Mandelson’s influence across Government, where he offered advice to ministers and lobbied for his own interests while savaging Mr Starmer behind his back.

It had all the elements of a modern-day tragedy: the grieving widow quietly dabbing away tears with a white tissue, the president’s son making a surprise appearance with his glamorous new wife, and a diminutive accused killer at the center of it all.

But the second day of the preliminary hearing over Charlie Kirk‘s 2025 murder also had elements of a farce: an afternoon of testimony so utterly boring, four women who had camped out overnight to get courtroom seats quietly slipped away after just an hour.

The day had begun with a phalanx of cameras mobbed around the entrance waiting to capture the main players: Donald Trump Jr with his recent bride Bettina Anderson, Kirk’s widow Erika and his devastated parents, as well as Robinson’s own mom and dad who scurried into the Provo District Courthouse dodging the lenses as much as they could.

Inside, security was heavy: the fourth floor had been turned into a fortress with the floor to ceiling plate glass windows blacked out with fabric to prevent any clear shot at those entering the courtroom.

Snipers were stationed on the roof while squads of heavily armed cops had packed into the lobby and into the courtroom itself.

Erika herself was flanked by a posse of three heavies, looking small and fragile at their sides.

Reporters covering the hearing were swept into the courtroom first, where, from their perch in the jury box, they were positioned directly next to the defense team and the accused killer Tyler Robinson himself.

Not that the seating arrangements appeared to bother the 23-year-old, who maintained a mask of stony indifference throughout the day as he sat, hunched over the defense desk, in a crumpled gray suit.

Robinson, 23 (pictured in December), faces the possibility of the death penalty if he is convicted of murdering Kirk at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025

The conservative influencer interacted with the crowd during a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University moments before he was shot dead

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Yet there were the odd signs of emotion: rolling his pen through his fingers as a picture purporting to show him positioning himself to strike, his left thumb tracing circles on his thigh as his trans former lover’s name got its first mention, and a quick scratch of his left eye.

As reporters filed out at the end of the day, he offered a brief smirk – the most visible and discernible facial expression he managed in eight hours of testimony.

The real emotion was to be found further back where Erika, dressed in a black satin blouse and matching wide-leg pants, sat in the third row next to Kirk’s visibly distraught parents.

Occasionally dabbing her eyes as she watched frame by frame footage of Robinson’s movements on the day her husband died, it proved all too much at times – with both Erika and his parents fleeing the court room twice in the morning.

Sitting just in front of them, just a few seats away, were Robinson’s parents Matthew and Amber who, like their son, didn’t give much away – stoically facing Judge Tony Graf while chewing gum throughout.

Behind them and to their right was Don Jr, solemn in a navy suit, and new wife Bettina who added a shot of glamour to proceedings in a cream pinstriped suit and black t-shirt.

Although the newlyweds spent the whole of Monday in court, neither made it back after Tuesday’s lunch break – for which both should breathe a sigh of relief.

Although Robinson’s sharp-tongued lead attorney Kathy Nester – last seen mounting an unsuccessful defense of grief author Kouri Richins – took center stage in the morning, the afternoon saw the floor handed to Michael Burt.

Kirk was supported in court by her late husband’s close friend, Donald Trump Jr, and his new wife Bettina Anderson (pictured at the Freedom 250 UFC fight at the White House in June)

Charlie Kirk’s parents Robert and Kathryn Kirk appeared grief stricken as they arrived for the second day of preliminary court appearances in Provo, Utah, on Tuesday

Tyler Robinson’s parents Matt and Amber also seen arriving at the courthouse on Tuesday

Burt, no stranger to a famous case himself having represented parent killer Lyle Menendez during his first trial, took the later hours of the day from high drama to crashing bore.

For more than three painstaking hours, Burt attempted to prove flaws in the DNA testing that identified Robinson, subjecting FBI scientist Amanda Bakker to a tedious barrage of questions and waving best practice manuals written in 1996 at the witness box.

The courtroom, already mostly marked by a hushed silence, descended into a stupor before dapper prosecutor Ryan McBride rapidly wrapped proceedings up with a few quick questions of his own.

Tuesday marked the second day of a week-long preliminary hearing in the murder case.

Robinson faces the possibility of the death penalty if convicted, with his defense attorney Nester, 59, attempting to prevent key evidence from being admitted at his pre-trial hearings this week.

Nester is a veteran trial attorney with a number of infamous defendants on her resume, including former polygamous religious leader Lyle Jeffs, synagogue shooter John Earnest and Michael Kirk Moore, who was accused of issuing false Covid vaccine certificates and destroying $28,000 worth of COVID-19 vaccines. The charges against Moore were eventually dropped.

Much of the focus on Tuesday morning was on the testimony of Utah State Bureau of Investigation agent David Hull who said that hours before Kirk was killed, Robinson visited the amphitheater where the influencer was preparing to speak.

Hull claimed that Robinson made contact with several members of the conservative activist’s organization Turning Point USA.

Defense attorney Kathryn Nester during a preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson, on Tuesday

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A never-before-seen image allegedly showing Robinson on the UVU campus before the shooting

Prosecutors say Robinson drove a grey Dodge Challenger for four hours to the UVU campus, and on Tuesday they presented never-before-seen footage allegedly showing the vehicle stalking the area before Kirk’s assassination

The agent did not testify as to what Robinson said to the organization’s members, but Hull added that Robinson also bought food from Chick-fil-A roughly two hours before Kirk was killed.

Hull also noted that a police officer interacted with the suspect on campus the day after the shooting, amid an intense manhunt for Kirk’s killer.

He said Robinson returned to the UVU campus during the manhunt, but during his conversation with the police officer he set off alarm bells.

Hull said the officer had ‘cop intuition’ about Robinson and wrote down his license plate, which later helped investigators prove that the 23-year-old was on campus that day, he testified.

The bombshell testimony came after prosecutors shared never-before-seen footage allegedly showing Robinson prowling the UVU campus on the day of the shooting.

However, prosecutors hit a hurdle on the first day of the evidence hearings on Monday as Utah District Court Judge Tony Graf rejected surveillance footage put forward by the state, as he said he was ‘concerned’ it had been edited.

The footage had been altered with circles around items of interest and zooms at key moments, which prosecutors said were ‘only added to make it easier to view.’

People gather outside a courthouse, on the day of a preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson

The early ruling came as the first cop at the scene, Utah Valley University police officer Chris Bagley, also admitted in his testimony that he did not have bodycam footage from the day of Kirk’s assassination to back up his testimony, because his camera ‘ran out of batteries.’

Despite the early challenges in the evidence on Monday, prosecutors only need to convince Judge Graf of probable cause in taking Robinson to trial, a lower bar than the ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ standard needed to ultimately convict him.

Robinson has remained in custody in Utah ever since his arrest 33 hours after Kirk was killed.

Prosecutors say they have compiled a slew of evidence in that time, including DNA linking Robinson to the murder weapon, witness statements and further surveillance tying him to the scene.

They are also expected to cite messages Robinson allegedly sent his transgender partner Lance Twiggs on the day of the shooting, which said he ‘had enough of (Kirk’s) hatred’ and that ‘some hatred can’t be negotiated out.’

Robinson has not yet entered a plea in the case.

CHOCOLATE lovers in York can now taste a little piece of history – inspired by a forgotten Terry’s invention dating back 100 years.

Long before the Terry’s Chocolate Orange became one of Britain’s most recognisable sweets, York was home to another fruit-shaped chocolate creation that has almost been lost to history.

This year marks 100 years since the launch of Terry’s Dessert Chocolate Apple, a pioneering invention created in 1926 to celebrate the opening of Terry’s famous Chocolate Works on Bishopthorpe Road.

Terry’s Dessert Chocolate Apple, 1926- 1954. Image courtesy of York Museums Trust

Now, to coincide with the centenary and World Chocolate Day, York’s Chocolate Story, in King’s Square, is reviving interest in the forgotten confection with special displays and a limited-edition chocolate inspired by the original creation.

The attraction has unveiled two larger-than-life Chocolate Apple models and produced just 500 apple-flavoured chocolate bars, giving visitors the chance to imagine what the original chocolate might have tasted like had it actually been flavoured.

Stuart Wood, general manager at York’s Chocolate Story, said the Chocolate Apple was an overlooked but important part of York’s chocolate-making heritage.

The two apples on display at York’s Chocolate Story

“Millions of people around the world recognise Terry’s Chocolate Orange, but very few realise it had an older sibling,” he said.

“The Chocolate Apple is one of the hidden stories of York’s chocolate-making heritage and deserves to be remembered for the role it played in the evolution of one of Britain’s most iconic chocolates.

“Because production ended more than 70 years ago, very few people have ever seen or even heard of the Chocolate Apple. Its story has been overshadowed by the extraordinary success of the Chocolate Orange, but without the Apple there may never have been the Orange as we know it today.”

While many people assume the Dessert Chocolate Apple was apple flavoured, the original product was actually made from plain chocolate.

Terry’s Chocolate Orange and Chocolate Apple.

Its distinctive apple shape was created using separate chocolate segments and it was marketed as a luxurious centrepiece that families could place on dining tables before breaking apart and sharing with guests.

At a time when chocolate was still regarded as a special treat, the product stood out as a symbol of sophistication and innovation.

Stuart said: “The original wasn’t apple flavoured at all. It was created as an elegant chocolate centrepiece at a time when chocolate was increasingly becoming a luxury people shared on special occasions.

“Its innovative segmented design was ahead of its time and ultimately paved the way for the Chocolate Orange that generations have grown up with.”

The lesser-known Terry’s Chocolate Apple, which was produced between 1924 and 1954 Image: Image from YORK MUSEUMS TRUST

Although the Chocolate Apple enjoyed popularity for several decades, it disappeared from production in 1954 as post-war manufacturing costs rose.

Its legacy, however, lived on. The segmented design later became the foundation for Terry’s Chocolate Orange, which went on to achieve worldwide recognition and become one of Britain’s best-loved confectionery brands.

Despite its significance, the Chocolate Apple remains largely unknown outside chocolate history circles, making its centenary an opportunity to shine a light on an often-overlooked chapter of York’s industrial past, said Stuart.

York’s Chocolate Story. Picture Frank Dwyer

He added that he hoped the anniversary would introduce a new generation to the invention and the role York played in shaping the chocolate industry.

“As we celebrate its centenary, we’re delighted to give guests the opportunity to discover this fascinating chapter of York’s chocolate history and to imagine what might have been had the original Chocolate Apple been flavoured after all,” he said.

York has long been regarded as Britain’s chocolate capital, with confectionery giants including Terry’s and Rowntree’s developing products that transformed the industry and became household names.

Visitors to York’s Chocolate Story can learn more about the Dessert Chocolate Apple, explore the city’s chocolate-making heritage and see the commemorative displays throughout the summer. The attraction’s limited run of 500 apple-flavoured chocolate bars will be available while stocks last.

Guests can also visit the attraction for less this summer thanks to the Government’s Summer of Savings VAT reduction, meaning VAT on Guided Tours, Truffle Rolling and Family Packages has been cut from 20 per cent to five per cent. Find out more here: www.yorkschocolatestory.com

By HANNAH ROCHELL

Updated: 23:26 BST, 8 July 2026

It wasn’t the models but a Hollywood mother and daughter duo who stole the show on Wednesday at Balenciaga’s Paris Couture Week presentation.

Demi Moore, 63, and Tallulah Willis, her daughter with Bruce Willis, posed hand in hand in the designer’s creations in the French capital, where they had front-row seats to see Pierpaolo Piccioli’s autumn collection.

The Indecent Proposal star wore a black fishtail puffball skirt with a matching oversized black shirt and bold green pointed heels.

Her actress daughter, 32, chose a chartreuse skirt so tent-like that it created its own shade in the 31C heat, teamed with a cool oversized white T-shirt. 

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Wicked actress Cynthia Erivo, 39, was also among the celebrity attendees and likewise chose an outfit with reams of fabric in spite of the sticky temperatures.

She wore a fishtail puffball skirt similar to Moore’s but as part of a caramel-hued dress, with a sequin bodice and coordinating suede bomber jacket artfully worn off the shoulder.

Emily In Paris star Lily Collins, 37, perhaps sensibly chose a black strapless minidress, paired with all-black accessories including dramatic opera gloves.

She was spotted posing with Hudson Williams, 25, star of Heated Rivalry, a TV show about a forbidden romance between rival male ice hockey players. 

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Demi Moore and Tallulah Willis, her daughter with Bruce Willis, posed hand in hand at Balenciaga’s Paris Couture Week presentation, where they had front-row seats to see Pierpaolo Piccioli’s autumn collection 

Demi Moore wore a black fishtail puffball skirt with a matching oversized black shirt and bold green pointed heels, while her actress daughter chose a chartreuse skirt with an oversized white T-shirt

Wicked actress Cynthia Erivo was also among the celebrity attendees and likewise chose an outfit with reams of fabric in spite of the sticky temperatures

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Emily In Paris star Lily Collins chose a black strapless minidress, paired with all-black accessories including dramatic opera gloves

A model walked down the runway in a frothy pink cascade of a feathery dress at the Balenciaga fashion show as part of Paris Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2026 fashion week

Williams wore a brown double-breasted suit so slouchy that the sleeves and trousers drooped over his hands and feet.

The focus on voluminous silhouettes continued on the catwalk in Piccioli’s first couture collection since taking on the role of creative director at Balenciaga last year.

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One model showed off a frothy pink cascade of a feathery dress.

In another look, a black trench coat was done up completely save for the bottom few buttons, which revealed a flurry of feathers.

And model Gigi Hadid, 31, walked in a huge black feathered hooded top.

A 16-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman in her 60s was pronounced dead at a house in Burnage, south Manchester at around 8am this morning

A teenage boy aged 16 has been arrested on suspicion of murder following the death of a woman at a property in south Manchester on this morning.

Officers from Greater Manchester Police, accompanied by paramedics, were dispatched to Ivylea Road in Burnage after reports of an assault at a residential address at approximately 8am on Wednesday July 8.

Upon arrival officers discovered the victim, a woman in her 60s, but she was tragically pronounced dead at the scene. Detectives swiftly launched a murder investigation, which remains ongoing.

A police vehicle was spotted on the residential street on Wednesday evening, with a witness reporting a significant police presence at the property throughout the day as investigations continued, reports the Manchester Evening News.

The 16 year old boy remains in custody awaiting questioning in connection with the incident. It is understood that the victim and the suspect were known to one another as relatives.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson has today confirmed in a statement: “Officers responded to reports of an assault at an address on Ivylea Road, Burnage at around 8am today (08/07/26). One woman aged in her 60s sadly died at the scene and a boy, aged 16, has been arrested on suspicion of murder. He remains in custody for questioning. “

By BURNEY WONG – NEWS REPORTER

Published: 12:11 BST, 8 July 2026 | Updated: 23:33 BST, 8 July 2026

Being too tired is no longer a valid excuse to work from home, as a senior Victorian council worker found out after losing a legal battle to spend less time in the office.  

Steve Polak, 55, had already been working in the office two days a week at Macedon Ranges Shire Council in Central Victoria, but wanted to cut that down to one day for three weeks a month because he had ‘work-related fatigue’. 

The planning and building liaison officer, whose LinkedIn profile includes an impassioned defence of a healthy work-life balance, argued his commute and letting a family member borrow his car for university contributed to his fatigue. 

He also claimed his work responsibilities could all be done from the comfort of his own home, particularly with Microsoft Teams available to communicate with his colleagues. 

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However, the council rejected the request, a decision later upheld by the Fair Work Commission. 

Commission deputy president Kamal Farouque said Mr Polak’s 14-year experience in the role made him a valuable asset in the office, especially when assisting younger staff.

That provided the council with ‘reasonable business grounds’ to require his in-person attendance even though he agreed Mr Polak was able to perform ‘much of his day-to-day job tasks at home’. 

‘The respondent (the council) wishes to have the applicant’s experience available to the planning team and build team connection by having him work in the office for two days a week,’ Mr Farouque said.

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Being too tired is no longer a valid excuse to work from home, as a senior Victorian council worker (left) found out after losing a legal battle to be out of the office more

‘This is in circumstances where there has been significant change in the composition of the respondent’s planning team and the applicant is one of three long-serving employees within the team. 

‘For the purposes of clarity, [the council] refused the applicant’s request … on grounds that the operational needs of the statutory planning team require a regular and consistent onsite presence in order to build team engagement and strengthen in-person collaboration and that Mr Polak’s request was inconsistent with those objectives.’    

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Before Mr Polak took the matter up to the tribunal, the council had given him the option to choose which days he would work from home, which he declined. 

His manager told the commission the arrangement would help Mr Polak manage the shared car issue, an argument the tribunal agreed with. 

‘Increasing team engagement and strengthening in-person collaboration are key priorities for the [council]’, a manager told the commission.

As a result of the tribunal’s ruling, Mr Polak will continue to work two days a week at the office.

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In his LinkedIn profile, he says he doesn’t have time for ‘yes men’ and prioritises having a ‘work-life balance’.

‘I have little patience for yes men and people who suck up, especially when it’s contrary to good business practice or team morale,’ he wrote. 

The Fair Work Commission has ruled that companies have the right to require employees to work from the office even if they are ‘fatigued’ with it (stock image)

‘Totally believe in the work-life balance if when at work, work is the priority.

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‘Rewards and recognition are a must for all business and can’t be just a statement with no substance.’

Daily Mail has contacted Mr Polak for comment.  

The ruling comes amid major changes to workplace laws in Victoria, where eligible employees have gained new protections around working from home.

From September 1, workers who can reasonably perform their duties remotely will be able to request up to two work-from-home days a week under changes to the Equal Opportunity Act.

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However, employers will still be able to reject flexible work requests where there are valid business reasons for doing so.

By PERKIN AMALARAJ, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER

Published: 18:38 BST, 8 July 2026 | Updated: 23:31 BST, 8 July 2026

The father of a piloting instructor who leapt to his death from a plane while giving a lesson to a 22-year-old student has said his son had been going through a ‘difficult time’.

Leandro Bertazzo, 42, flung himself from the pilot’s seat of a Cessna C-150 on July 4, after taking off from Coronel Olmedo Airport near Córdoba, central Argentina. 

He is said to have told the young student he was flying with that day: ‘You know what to do, keep moving forward.’

Bertazzo, who described himself online as a former commercial pilot in Chile, was then found dead 20 minutes later in a field in the area the woman marked out as the place he could have fallen. 

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According to Eduardo Alvarez, director of flight school Flying Parrot Córdoba where Leandro had worked as an instructor for four years, Leandro’s father said his son had been going through ‘a difficult time’.

On top of this, according to Alvarez, the man’s family revealed he had attended a consultation at a psychiatric hospital the week prior to his death. 

Bertazzo’s loved ones said he was single, had no children and lived with his parents in the city of Córdoba, according to Argentinian outlet Para Ti. 

Alvarez said of his employee: ‘He was an excellent professional, always cheerful, and greatly admired by all his students.’

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Leandro Bertazzo, 42, (pictured) jumped from a plane mid-flight while training a student pilot

The 22-year-old was then forced to land the Cessna C-150 alone and unaided at Coronel Olmedo Airport, where they took off, and alerted authorities to the emergency situation

Emergency services were seen at the field where the Mr Bertazzo’s body was found

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He added that he was ‘a wonderful person, with a great smile and a clear outlook on life’.

Investigators are still looking into his death. According to his boss, Bertazzo ‘took his headphones off, arranged his belongings including his mobile phone, took his seatbelt off, opened the door which is very difficult to open and jumped out.

‘[The student pilot] sent a message informing about the situation and proceeded to return to the runway to land.’ 

He added: ‘She was very shaken, but with complete professionalism she flew the plane to the airfield and made a perfect landing. She maintained a very high level of training and professionalism.’

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Earlier in the day of the incident, Mr Bertazzo had taken another student out to fly before getting into the cockpit with the 22-year-old.

He added: ‘He took this tragic decision on board a plane with a person by his side.

‘There’s no way to think about it or understand it, but the human mind is so complex, so treacherous. That’s why what happened, happened.’ 

Officials have said the circumstances surrounding the tragedy are so unusual they cannot offer any explanation for the moment as to how it could have happened.

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One of the lines of inquiry investigators are thought to be studying is whether the incident may have been the result of a mechanical failure related to a hatch or one of the aircraft’s safety systems.

They are checking the plane’s and flight school’s documentation and analysing communications maintained while the plane was in the air before the instructor fell out of it.

– For confidential support, call Samaritans on 116 123, visit samaritans.org or visit https://www.thecalmzone.net/get-support 

URI Geller strikes again in York… or at least that is what it looks like according to this photo.

The image shows a traffic post bent over in Fulford Road.

The photo was taken by Garry Hornby who posted it in The Press’ popular Camera Club group on Facebook.

Fellow Camera Club member Jonathan Allison joked in reply: “Didn’t realise he was that bad at driving…”.

The bent post comes just two months after a similar episode in Exhibition Square, just outside the City Art Gallery and historic Bootham Bar.

Recommended reading:

Again, it was our eagle-eyed Garry who took and shared photos in our Facebook group.

Leaning traffic post in York at Exhibition Square in May – photo by Garry Hornby

Press reporters also took some photos of the post, which we published at the time.

The post was later repaired.

The new photo has called to mind the mysterious abilities of Geller who became world famous for his trademark television performances of spoon bending and other illusions.

Legendary bender of spoons – Uri Geller

Join our club

Would you like to see your photographs in The Press and online?

More than 2,500 readers have joined The Press Camera Club, which launched in June 2017 and brings together talented photographers from across York and North and East Yorkshire to share their work, swap tips and take part in themed monthly prize competitions.

Every month we run a competition for members to win £50.

The competition is based on a theme and the theme for July is ‘Holidays26’.

By PERKIN AMALARAJ, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER

Published: 22:15 BST, 8 July 2026 | Updated: 23:15 BST, 8 July 2026

An Italian man who left an injured ‘illegal’ Indian worker to die on the side of a road with his severed arm in a box following a farm incident has been jailed for 16 years. 

In June 2024, Satnam Singh, a 31-year-old undocumented worker, had his arm torn off and legs crushed by a machine in the town of Borgo Santa Maria.

But instead of taking him to the hospital, his employer, Antonello Lovato, abandoned him and his wife on the side of a road, with the severed limb in a box, according to the unions supporting the victim’s widow.

Singh succumbed to his injuries two days later at the San Camillo di Roma hospital. 

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At the opening of the trial in 2025, Lovato claimed to have ‘lost his head’ when he saw Singh bleeding out. He added: ‘I wasn’t myself. I didn’t want him to die.’

Prosecutors had asked for a 22-year prison sentence for the 39-year-old farmer, who was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter with eventual intent. 

The drama received wide media coverage in Italy and sparked a debate about work conditions for undocumented workers on the country’s farms. 

The announcement of the verdict was covered live on television.

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Satnam Singh, a 31-year-old undocumented worker, (pictured) had his arm torn off and legs crushed by a machine in the town of Borgo Santa Maria

Antonello Lovato (pictured) abandoned the man and his wife on the side of a road, with the severed limb in a box

Thousands of Indian farm workers had demonstrated in Latina, a rural area south of Rome, to demand justice and an end to ‘slavery’ in Italy.

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If Singh, who died of severe haemorrhaging, had been rescued quickly, ‘he would very likely have been saved’, the Latina public prosecutor’s office said, citing the forensic report.

Italian unions, upon the trial’s commencement, denounced the country’s farming industry’s practice of employing illegal migrants who are often more vulnerable than most. 

They decried the system of abuse and exploitation, known in Italy as ‘caporalato.’

Maurizio Landini, the secretary-general of the powerful CGIL trade union federation, said in 2025 at the start of the trial: ‘As is the logic of exploitation known as “caporalato,” which allows for people to be treated like merchandise, like parts of a machine that can be easily bought and sold for the lowest price. 

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‘And I insist that it is this culture that needs to be changed.’

Landini said that while Lovato’s trial was important, more work was needed to change the practice of abuse: ‘We think it is important to seek justice, above all to put in motion everything necessary to change the way of doing business so episodes like this can never be repeated. 

‘We don’t think this is an isolated case. It is a mistake to think this problem can be resolved with this trial.’