Verona, little sisters killed. The father: “But my wife loved them”
“I want them to tell me the truth, I want to know how my children died and why it was possible for all this to happen.” Ruwan Kiriwellage he is a small man who shows less than his own 38 years old. He arrived in Italy from Sri Lanka when he was a teenager, today he lives in Verona and works in a box factory. He is the father of 11 year old Sabadi and little Sandani, 3 years old,the two girls killed on Tuesday in a protected house in Verona. It was their mother who suffocated them, Sachithra Fernando Mahawaduge, who then took her own life by throwing herself into the Adige river, where her body was fished out yesterday afternoon. “My wife had always been a good mom. But the truth is that she had mental problems, which is why I suggested that social workers work with a psychologist, ”says Ruwan.
How long have you been married?
“We met in 2006, she was a distant relative of mine and found in Sri Lanka. A few years later he joined me here in Verona and we got married, and in 2010 Sabadi was born ».
In 2016, his wife reported her for abusing your first child. Accusation for which, recently, the prosecutor asked for the filing …
“I have never harmed anyone or anyone, much less my daughters. She was fixated on things: she accused me of molesting the little girl, of cheating on her with several women, even of being a drug addict … But it was all in her head. It was never an easy marriage, ours, and she had always manifested ailments. She went from being very calm to bursts of hatred that drove her to aggression: there were times when she beat me, on one occasion she used a knife ».
What happened after the complaint?
“She returned to Sri Lanka taking Sabadi away without warning me. But after some time our daughter fell ill and it was then that I was able to persuade my wife to return to Italy. We had a good time for a while, things seemed to have settled down. But then, in August 2018, Sandani was born. And here is an episode that perhaps explains well what kind of woman she was: when she broke the waters she didn’t tell me. And so, I found myself assisting her as she left home ».
He had started to show some disturbances again …
“Yes, he was aggressive again. We lived under the same roof but he did everything to prevent me from seeing the girls: sometimes, if I was at home, he would hide them in the room. In the end she turned to social services again and at the beginning of the summer of 2019 she moved to that structure, together with our daughters ».
Have you been able to meet the girls since then?
“On very few occasions. In April 2020 Sabadi was hospitalized and I was able to visit her for a few days. A couple of times that year, I was able to see even the smallest one. Then nothing more, apart from a meeting at the police station, for the renewal of the residence permit a few months ago. But when I asked to celebrate their birthdays, the social workers always replied that it was not possible, that he would have to wait because my wife did not agree. ”
In the meantime, they accuse them that Sachithra had addressed her in 2016, which was proving to be unfounded.
“Exactly, and in fact recently the court had authorized the resumption of visits. But the social workers told me that I still had to have a little patience, because the meetings narrate carefully prepared even considering that the youngest child no longer remembered me … ».
What happened on Tuesday?
“I don’t know, and I can’t be sure she really killed them. This is why I want someone to tell me what happened. I want to know how it was possible that some girls died in that structure that was supposed to be “protected”. And I want them to explain to me why mine always seem to fall on deaf ears … ».
What suggestions?
“I had asked that Sabadi and Sandani be entrusted to my parents. And I had repeated several times that my wife needed treatment, to speak to a specialist. Someone let the girls be taken away from me by their mothers for things I’ve never committed, and at least now I deserve the answers. Even if it’s too late now ».
What memories do you have of Sabadi and Sandani?
«As long as I could, I spent all afternoons with the eldest, as soon as I got home from work. I took her to the playground, we had fun together. Unfortunately, I have very few memories of the youngest because her mother took her away when she was a few months old: if I close my eyes, I see myself holding her in my arms ».
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October 28, 2021 (change October 28, 2021 | 08:07)
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