Plea deal offer of the truck driver charged with death of Davide Rebellin was rejected: "We do not want revenge but justice for Davide"

The family of former pro Davide Rebellin have welcomed the decision of a Vicenza court to reject the plea deal of the truck driver charged with causing his death. Instead the driver – 63-year-old Wolfgang Rieke – will go on trial on May 27, reports La Gazzetta della Sport in Italy.

He had hoped to serve out a sentence of three years 11 months under house arrest, but this was rejected by a panel of judges. "It was a nice surprise, we didn't expect it," Rebellin's brother Carlo told La Gazzetta.

"We can only be satisfied with the fact that... the judges have decided to go ahead and send Rieke to trial," Carlo Rebellin added. "We renew all our thanks for the great work carried out by the Italian Justice for Davide, both at the prosecutor's office and at the court."

The family, he said, were not motivated by revenge, but were seek what was right: "We do not want revenge but justice for Davide, and we believe that a trial is the right place to ascertain all the facts, and to arrive at a sentence that will not return him to us but which is at least the most appropriate possible, to the serious responsibilities of the accused," he said.