Killed Policewoman ‘Had Signed BDSM Contract with Boss’

Bologna: Local police official Sofia Stefani and her boss, Anzola police chief Giampiero Gualandi, who is on trial in Bologna for allegedly killing her in 2024, had signed a “sexual submission contract” on May 18, 2023, prosecutor Lucia Russo and attorney Andrea Speranzoni, who represents the victim’s family, said at a hearing on Monday.

According to Ansa News Agency, in the contract, Gualandi described himself as Stefani’s “owner” who “could do everything to his slave”, as stated by the State attorney. The document included a declaration from Gualandi, “I, lord and owner, commit to dominating the soul of my property”, as highlighted by the prosecutor during the proceedings.

The defence attorney representing Giampiero Gualandi, Claudio Benenati, argued that the submission contract was merely inspired by the book ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’, a bestseller in 2011, and could be found in Chapter 11. Benenati stated, “There are BDSM sites from which these types of contracts can be downloaded. It was a game, it has no validity, no juridical effect, no possibility of influencing someone’s behaviour. Adults can do what they want in their sexual lives.”

The contract was purportedly signed approximately a year before Stefani’s murder, which intensified the scrutiny of Gualandi’s actions and intentions. Gualandi’s other defence attorney, Lorenzo Valgimigli, cautioned the Court of Assizes against forming judgments based on “moral prejudices”.

Speranzoni, representing the victim’s parents, countered during the hearing, emphasizing that “the protagonists of that contract are a chief and an officer, everything was part of Sofia Stefani’s work environment”. The case continues to raise questions about the implications of personal relationships within professional settings and the boundaries of consensual agreements.