[1] Born in Taunton, England, Woodcock's father was British and worked as a teacher at Livorno's Naval Academy in northern Italy and his mother was from the southern Italian city of Naples.
Woodcock worked in Potenza for about ten years where he was a colleague of the former magistrate Luigi De Magistris, mayor of Naples until 2021, and they cooperated in anti-mafia investigations.
Woodcock became a prosecutor in 1996 and has become noted for his investigations in high-profile scandals including the Italian "Vip Gate" in 2003, and "Savoiagate" in 2006.
The arrest was made after wire taps had been intercepted between Vittorio Emanuele and other suspects during a two-year investigation.
Among the other suspects were Salvatore Sottile, the spokesman of former foreign minister Gianfranco Fini and casino managers from Messina, Sicily.