Couple accused of child abuse to appear in court

Friday, July 10, 2009

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Tai-Ling Gigliotti is set to appear in court on Friday.

HERNANDO COUNTY (Bay News 9) -- A Hernando County couple accused of beating a teenage boy and locking him in a bathroom are set to appear in court on Friday for a pre-trial hearing.

Police say Tai-Ling Gigliotti and her boyfriend, Anton Angelo, kept her adopted teenage son locked in a bathroom for months in their Spring Hill home.

However, defense attorneys say they will prove that those allegations are untrue. A photograph of the boy is part of the evidence the attorneys are going to use in court.

In the photo, the teen is smiling. Defense attorney Robert Whittel said the picture was taken during the period of alleged abuse.

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"What the police and prosecutors are saying is that this child was locked in a room this entire period," Whittel said. "The simple fact remains that the pictures don't lie."

However, the State Attorney's office has told Bay News 9's partner paper, the St. Petersburg Times, that this is clearly a case of abuse, and that they have physical and DNA evidence to prove it.

Whittel disagrees.

"The police took basically what the child said and took that as fact," he said. "As we investigate, we're finding out that those facts, in fact, don't exist."

Both Gigliotti and Angelo are facing charges of aggravated child abuse and false imprisonment.