Attacker of former US speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband gets life in prison without parole

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - WASHINGTON — The man who broke into the home of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and attacked her husband with a hammer has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on state charges in California.

David DePape was also convicted on federal charges in May leading to a 30-year prison sentence which will now be served concurrently.

In the state trial, a San Francisco jury found DePape guilty of kidnapping, first-degree burglary and false imprisonment of an elder. The attack left Paul Pelosi, now 84, in hospital for six days with a fractured skull and other injuries.

In a statement after the sentencing, the Pelosi family said that "legal justice has been served".

"Since the violent break-in and shouts of 'where’s Nancy?' two years ago, not a day goes by that we do not think of this devastating assault, its trauma — or the possibility of future attacks," the family said.

They added they hope the sentence sends a message "that political violence against elected officials or their family members will not be tolerated".

A lawyer for DePape said he plans to appeal against Tuesday's ruling.

"This was a really tragic end to a tragic story," attorney Adam Lipson told reporters after the hearing.

Mr Lipson had unsuccessfully lobbied the judge to hand down a more lenient sentence, arguing that DePape suffered from mental health issues and isolation, which he said made him vulnerable to propaganda.

Judge Harry Dorfman refused, saying that he did not feel sympathy for DePape.

"I feel sympathy for the victim in this case, who’s lucky to be alive," Judge Dorfman said as he handed down his sentence. “It’s my intention that Mr DePape will never get out of prison, he can never be paroled.”

Video of the incident that was played during the earlier trial showed DePape, a Canadian citizen who has lived in the US for two decades, breaking into the Pelosi home in California armed with a hammer on 28 October 2022.

DePape asked for Mrs Pelosi, who was not at home, when he confronted the lawmaker's husband inside the couple's house.

When police officers arrived after responding to a 911 call, they found Mr Pelosi and DePape both gripping the hammer.

Moments later - after being asked to drop the weapon - DePape abruptly struck Mr Pelosi before being wrestled to the ground by officers. The incident was caught on body cameras worn by the officers.

In addition to a fractured skull, Mr Pelosi suffered injuries to his arm and hand. He was struck three times during the attack.

The attacker had admitted during his federal trial that he planned to hold Mrs Pelosi hostage, interrogate her on camera and "break her kneecaps" if she did not admit to what he claimed were her lies.

Mrs Pelosi's daughter, Christine, read a letter written by her father, in which he said the attack left him with nerve damage and in fear of sleeping alone at home.

When given the chance to address the court at the state trial, DePape spoke at length about conspiracy theories surrounding the 11 September 2001 attack, according to the Associated Press, whose reporters were inside the court room.

DePape also said he believed his government-appointed lawyers were conspiring against him, the AP reported, forcing the judge to interrupt him several times. — BBC