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A former journalist who was beaten and left for dead by Italian police says his 11-year fight for justice is finally being won.

Mark Covell, 45, who grew up in Burghfield Common and attended The Willink School between 1978 and 1982, was left with eight broken ribs, a damaged lung, a broken hand and 16 smashed teeth when he was caught up in the Genoa G8 summit riots in 2001.

He is now set to receive 350,000 euro compensation from the Italian government.

The horrific assault is portrayed in the controversial film, Diaz – Don’t Clean Up This Blood.

Mr Covell was among 87 protesters beaten and kicked when police charged the Diaz school in Genoa, hitting people with batons as they cowered in their sleeping bags.

He recalls how hundreds of riot police charged the building, wrongly believing there were Black Bloc anarchists inside.

Quoted in the Domenico Procacci film, which is based on the subsequent trials and witness statements, Amnesty International refers to the events as: “The most serious suspension of democratic rights in a western country since the Second World War.”

Mr Covell was at first accused of helping to mastermind the anti-capitalist demonstrations.

He was cleared in 2003 and has campaigned ceaselessly for his attackers to be jailed.

In Rome in June, 26 of the men responsible for the Diaz Raid – known as the Mexican Butchers’ Shop because of the shocking bloody scenes that occurred – were found guilty and sacked from the police force.

Mr Covell is relieved that negotiations with the Italian government for damages for the trauma he suffered 11 years ago are finally drawing to a close.

It took him nine months to walk again and he had post traumatic stress disorder.

He is now rated as 28 per cent disabled.

“The change of Italian government is a breath of fresh air,” said Mr Covell.

“For the Diaz case, it has been an amazing year. From January, I have been in negotiations to resolve my compensation which I will finally sign for in Rome.

“I will get compensation in the order of 350,000 euros to settle my personal case.”

Now living in West London, he retired as a frontline conflict and protest journalist in 2009 to concentrate on winning the Diaz case.

“I survive by the generosity of supporters and personal friends and I am in a lot of debt which should be resolved soon,” he said.

“The police have never said sorry.

“The nearest we have come is the Chief of Police Manganelli saying there were ‘mistakes’ at Diaz that should and will never happen again.”