The 23-year-old accused faces trial after a Christmas day incident last year in Palm Groves, where he allegedly shot his partner. He appeared in court yesterday for a separate 2019 confrontation in Elche, during which a man reportedly stabbed him in the neck with a bottle. The accused was defended by lawyer Moises Candela Sabater, who argued self-defense and pressed for acquittal. The victim maintained that the neck was pierced by a broken bottle after condemning the accused for mistreating his dog.
In the oral hearing at the Elche 2nd High Criminal Court, the Prosecutor’s Office presented Francisco NM as the author of the crime of wounding with a dangerous instrument, seeking a prison sentence of three years and six months and compensation. The court was asked to order roughly 3,000 euros for medical injuries and aesthetic damage resulting from the neck wound.
morning fight
According to the accusation prepared by the prosecutor and supported by the victim during the trial, the events unfolded on Limoner Street in Elche at around four in the morning on 23 June 2019. The victim, then 39 years old, was cycling along the street when he encountered the accused and reproached him for harming his dog.
The prosecution asserts that the defendant reacted with anger and, guided by a moment of intent to injure, jumped onto the cyclist and struck him.
The victim fell to the ground, and the accused allegedly struck him in the neck with a broken glass bottle as he attempted to rise.
The defendant denied mistreating his dog in court and claimed that the victim assaulted him and grabbed his neck while the two were on the ground. He said he defended himself with a piece of stone while the dog remained nearby, with glass fragments still in the street. He also stated that forensic reports indicated the stabbed man had previously made unwanted sexual propositions in the neighborhood and had refused them.
Confirming the facts from the outset, the victim testified that he warned the defendant to stop hitting the dog and to take it home because it intimidated him. Soon after, he was slapped, fell to the ground, and was stabbed in the neck with the mouth of a broken bottle.
walking to the hospital
According to the victim, he attempted to seek help but found no one willing to intervene, and he walked to the hospital alone. He also stated that the accused threatened to kill him and his family.
In addition, a witness who did not attend the hearing, and whose deposition was read aloud, described events similarly. This witness noted that both parties were known to him and that he accompanied the accused’s dog on a walk when the other person approached and began insulting Francisco.
Following the insults, the accused’s friend allegedly intervened, pulling the victim off the bicycle, restraining Francisco, and forcing him to the ground. The witness admitted not fully understanding whether the victim was struck with a bottle but conceded that the victim had asked for help and tried to untie from the situation as the confrontation escalated.