An Italian prosecutor acknowledged that authorities may have underestimated the danger faced by a 26-year-old pregnant woman who was fatally stabbed in her residence on December 19.
Vanessa Ballan, the victim, submitted a complaint on October 26, asserting that her ex-partner Bujar Fandaj had scaled a gate in an attempt to enter her residence in the Veneto region. This home was shared with her 4-year-old son and her partner. Ballan claimed that Fandaj had been engaging in stalking and harassment.
The authorities conducted a search of Fandaj’s residence the following day. However, they subsequently deemed the complaint as non-urgent, given the absence of additional incidents involving harassment or threats.
On December 20, Prosecutor Marco Martani informed the press that the choice to categorize the case as non-urgent was later revealed to be without merit.
Martani stated that authorities observed no signs necessitating additional measures, clarifying that the only preventive action they could have pursued to avert Ballan’s murder would have been pre-emptive detention. However, Martani explained that there were insufficient grounds to justify taking such action.
As per the prosecutors, Fandaj shattered a window to gain entry to the house while Ballan was alone at home. Subsequently, he stabbed Ballan at least seven times with a knife obtained from her kitchen.
Fandaj, a Kosovan citizen residing in Italy, was apprehended at his residence later that evening. A search of Fandaj’s home revealed a bag containing a hammer, various tools employed for burglaries, and at least one knife.
Ballan and Fandaj initiated a relationship last year, which Bellan terminated during the summer. Shortly after the breakup, threats ensued, with Fandaj frequently appearing at the grocery store where Bellan was employed as a cashier.
The savage killing of Ballan by her former partner occurred just a month following the discovery of 22-year-old Giulia Cecchettin, whose lifeless body, with her throat slashed, was found in a ditch in the Veneto region. Cecchettin went missing after meeting with her ex-boyfriend.
The ex-boyfriend was subsequently apprehended in Germany and is presently detained in an Italian prison.
