A priest who led police on a 20-minute high-speed car chase after being spotted driving slowly through a red light zone has been cleared of any wrongdoing.
Father Cesare Burgazzi, a member of the Vatican staff, said he zoomed away from the plain clothes officers in his Ford Focus because he thought they were robbers.
Police conducting an early-hours spot check had tried to flag down the 51-year-old father prior to the chase through the streets of Rome. Described in court as being like a scene in a Hollywood film, the pursuit left three officers injured after two of their cars collided.
According to the Daily Mail, when he was finally stopped, Father Burgazzi told officers: "You have no idea who I am.
"You don't know who you are messing with."
The priest, who worked for the Vatican's State Department and was also a master of ceremonies at St Peter's Basilica, stood accused of wounding, resisting arrest, and failing to produce vehicle documents or personal ID when stopped.
However, Judge Ettore Pedicini - who had been asked by the prosecution to jail Father Burgazzi for 18 months - said that the facts relating to the May 2006 incident "did not constitute a crime".
According to defence lawyer Gianni Lostia, Father Burgazzi was simply on his way home after an evening meal with other priests.
"He contests the police's claims that the front seats were reclined," he added.
