- The strange moment went viral on social media after viewers expressed concern.
- MailOnline can reveal that an Italian tourist has been identified as the culprit
- The man has defended his actions but has deleted all of his social media accounts.
A man who was caught on camera nibbling on a child’s ear at the world snooker championship was an Italian tourist who defended the incident, MailOnline can reveal.
Forklift operator Stefano Voci, 43, was seen biting and fondling the boy while Stephen Hendry gave an interview in a bizarre episode that sparked widespread revulsion and sparked a police investigation.
And then he wrote a heartfelt post defending his actions as a normal way to express affection toward a loved one.
MailOnline has established that the child in the images is a relative of Voci, but we will not name him.
The incident in Sheffield was investigated by South Yorkshire Police and earlier this week they announced that the matter was “closed” and no further action would be taken.
A man (left) was seen nibbling on a child’s ear in April during BBC snooker coverage.
MailOnline can reveal that the man involved was Stefano Voci (left), 43, a forklift operator.
We can now reveal that the man in question was Voci, an Italian national, who was visiting relatives in Sheffield from his home in Desio, near Milan, where he is also vice-president of the local blood donor group.
After the images began circulating in Italy last month, Voci took to social media and tried to explain his actions on Facebook.
He wrote: ‘There are many clarifications to be made but everything is in process (sic). I was simply someone who shared love and affection like anyone else, who was maliciously exposed.’
Her post went on to identify her relationship with the child, which we are not reproducing, and then continued: “All the images are being edited on social media, those images are not mine, they are just setting this up to affect me… No more.” hate.’
Then he concludes: ‘My family is fine and more united than ever, I don’t care that my face is all over social media with photomontages and fake posts. Just leave my family alone. God bless you all and best wishes to all.’
He has since deleted all of his accounts, as have several members of his family. But MailOnline has discovered a post on his Facebook page, now deleted, in which he attempts to explain his actions.
In the footage, the boy seemed unfazed when he noticed he could be seen on the livestream and then smiled and waved at the camera as the man stepped back.
Voci (right) was visiting relatives in Sheffield from Italy and has since deleted all social media.
Then Voci apparently realized he was being recorded and broke into a cheesy smile before shaking his head back and forth.
A police spokesperson said earlier this week: “Following review of the video, officers have determined that no crime has been committed and the investigation has been closed.”
The video had racked up more than 12 million views and 58,000 likes by the next morning and X users expressed their horror.
The footage was captured while seven-time champion Hendry was discussing David Gilbert’s round of 16 match against Robert Milkins with Hazel Irvine.