“I admit with deepest embarrassment that it was only after what regrettably happened that I learned of the monument’s antiquity,” the man – identified by his lawyer as 31-year-old Ivan Danailov Dimitrov – wrote in a letter dated July 4 and addressed to the Rome prosecutor’s office, the mayor of Rome and “the municipality of Rome.”
Dimitrov's letter of apology, acknowledging the severity of his actions, was initially published by the Rome daily newspaper. In the letter, he expressed ‘’sincere’’ remorse and extended his apologies to Italians and the global community for the harm caused to the Colosseum, which he now only recognized as a heritage of humanity.
In addition, Dimitrov expressed his willingness to take practical actions to rectify the situation and make up for what he had done.
The incident gained public attention when another tourist filmed Dimitrov engraving the words "Ivan + Hayley 23/6/23" on a brick wall of the Colosseum.
The video quickly went viral, leading to widespread criticism of Dimitrov's careless behaviour, which he continued despite being admonished by the person filming. So we don’t how truthful this ‘’not know how ancient it is’’ line.
Italian military police officers were able to identify Dimitrov through a process of cross-checking the names of the two individuals in love with records of registered guests in Rome.
This investigation led them to discover that the couple had stayed in an Airbnb rental located in the Cinecittà neighbourhood.
Roberto Martina, the police commander in charge of the operation, mentioned that they were able to trace Dimitrov's whereabouts to England, where he and his girlfriend currently reside. The girlfriend is not under investigation in this case.
Alexandro Maria Tirelli, Dimitrov’s lawyer told ‘’Sunsay Morning Herald’’: “It should be said that when foreign tourists come to Italy, from anywhere, not any particular nationality, there’s this idea that they’ve come to a country where everything is allowed, where they turn a blind eye, where it’s, ‘That’s how it goes,’”
Dimitrovs could potentially face imprisonment ranging from two to five years and a fine of up to 15,000 euros this translates to a fine of approximately R274,700.
Dimitrov's legal representative was hopeful of negotiating a plea bargain that would enable his client to pay the fine without serving any time in jail.