A German court has approved the extradition to Italy of the truck driver suspected of causing Davide Rebellin’s death in a hit-and-run incident near Vicenza on November 30 last year.
Tuttobiciweb reports that a court in Hamm has agreed to a request from magistrates in Vicenza for the extradition of Wolfgang Rieke to stand trial for vehicular homicide, though the precise timing of his transfer to Italy has not yet been confirmed.
Rieke fled the scene of the fatal crash in Montebello Vicentino after reportedly checking on Rebellin’s condition before driving back to Germany. Although the 62-year-old was quickly located by authorities in Germany, he was not arrested as the offence is not covered by the German penal code.
An examination of Rieke’s lorry revealed damage consistent with the collision, as well as evidence that it had been cleaned with a concentrated detergent. A European arrest warrant was later issued and Rieke turned himself in to police last month.
Rieke spent four days in custody, but he has since been released, albeit with an obligation to present himself to police on a weekly basis. The magistrates in Vicenza have requested Rieke be placed in custody pending his trial in Italy.
Rieke has previously been charged with two crimes in Italy – in 2001 pleading guilty to a non-fatal hit and run in Foggia before his sentence was overturned due to the statute of limitations, while in 2014 he was charged with driving his truck while under the influence of alcohol in Chieti.
Davide Rebellin’s tragic death came just weeks after he had competed in his final race as a professional rider, bringing the curtain down on his long career at 51 years of age.
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