Global Courant
A tourist who was captured on video defaced the wall of the Colosseum in Rome last month by carving a love note into it, claiming in an apology letter that he was unaware the amphitheater was nearly 2,000 years old.
The man, identified by his lawyer as 27-year-old Ivan Danailov Dimitrov, used a key to carve “Ivan+Hayley 23” into a brick wall of the building on June 23. by Italian officials.
In a July 4 letter shared to NBC News by his attorney, Dimitrov wrote, “I admit with great embarrassment that I only learned of the monument’s antiquity after what sadly happened.”
The letter was addressed to the mayor of Rome, the city council and city magistrates.
Dimitrov said he is “aware of the seriousness of the act committed” and offered “my sincere apologies to the Italians and the whole world for the damage done to a property that is in fact the heritage of all humanity. “
While Dimitrov has not been publicly identified by Italian officials, the national police, the Carabinieri, said on June 29 that they are investigating and that the suspect and his partner live in England.
“I am also aware that similar behavior in my country would have led to far more serious consequences,” Dimitrov wrote. “For this reason, I accept all responsibility and will make sincere and concrete efforts to redeem myself and make amends for the mistake I made.”
Dimitrov said there is no “justification” for the “rudeness, superficiality and frivolity” of his actions. He closed the letter and said he “hopes” his apology will be accepted.
His attorney, Alexandro Maria Tirelli, told NBC News exclusively, “We’ve already filed a plea. The boy will definitely benefit from the suspended sentence.”
Tirelli described the offending act as heinous “but not serious”. He said the letter was sent on Tuesday.
NBC News has reached out to Rome’s prosecutor’s office for comment. Rome’s mayor’s office said on Thursday it had not received any letter.
Vandalizing the Coliseum is an act that carries fines of up to $15,000 and five years in prison, police said. The associated press.
Italy’s Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano tweeted a video of the incident on June 26, calling it “very serious, undignified and a sign of great discourtesy”. He added that he hoped the perpetrator would be “sanctioned under our laws”.
It is not the first time that the Colosseum has been destroyed by tourists.
In 2014, a Russian tourist was fined approximately $25,000 and given a four-year suspended sentence after writing the letter “K” on the wall of the Colosseum. The AP reported. A year later two American tourists were cited for heavy damage after they engraved their name in the Colosseum.
