A CATHOLIC priest has been locked up for battering an ex-lover with a silver bar during an attempted robbery of her family jewels.
Don Giuseppe “Pino” Madeo, 63, was sentenced to one year and four months behind bars for the brutal assault on his former flame.
The mad father went on the rampage at the woman’s home in Rome, Italy, on September 27, 2021, wielding a silver ingot while demanding she open her safe.
In a bid to steal the valuables, Madeo struck his ex-lover on the head to force her to open it and empty its contents onto the bed.
The woman, now aged 70, was 65 at the time, was left with no option but to comply while the holy hothead gathered jewellery into a plastic bag.
After she managed to call her son for help, Madeo snatched her phone and smashed it on the ground.
But the rogue priest’s robbery attempt was foiled when the son turned up and raised the alarm.
Cops rushed to the property and shackled Madeo before he could make an escape.
The victim was taken to hospital with bruising and injuries to her forearm, face, scalp and neck.
She later filed a complaint with the Aurelio district police station, leading to a probe and madman Madeo being sent for trial.
Although she reportedly attempted to withdraw her complaint, the case proceeded as prosecutors had already filed criminal charges.
Before the plea agreement, Madeo paid the woman €4,000 (£3,491) in compensation.
She donated the sum to Rome’s Bambino Gesu children’s hospital.
The rogue priest reached a plea deal before a Rome court and was jailed for attempted robbery and personal injury in a February 10 hearing.
Following the sentencing, Madeo resigned from his role as hospital chaplain in Piove di Sacco, near Padua.
In a statement, the Diocese of Padua said it had not been aware of the judicial proceedings when it accepted him last November at the request of the Archdiocese of Rossano-Cariati.
It described the placement as temporary and part of a personal and spiritual review process related to past conduct not in keeping with priestly ministry.