This Alicante County Court handed down a sentence of three years and six months in prison to two men accused of attempting to rob a jeweler in Novelda. Taking into account the detention of the store owner, who faced accusations from the prosecutor, the court acquitted him of unlawful detention. The sentence notes that the defendants restrained the owner, but the prison term did not exceed what was necessary to complete the robbery.
This account summarizes the events established by the judgment. They unfolded at about 1:30 p.m. on October 28, 2022. The two suspects entered a jewelry store on Emilia Castelar street in Novelda and asked the owner to show them a watch from the window. As the owner bent down to retrieve it, one of the attackers lunged forward, wrapped an arm around his neck, and forced him to the floor.
They then restrained him, first with tape and then with a power cord around both wrists and ankles. One defendant allegedly produced a razor at the neck while demanding the keys to the jewelry store. The attackers bound him more tightly and placed a hood over his head before leading him to an internal office.
60,000 Euro booty
The robbers seized jewelry and cash hidden in a backpack. The total loot exceeded 60,000 euros, but the police response thwarted the attempt, as the Civil Guard was alerted when the victim kept his friend on the line and the alarm was triggered. The suspects were apprehended inside the jewelry shop.
The court concluded that one of the defendants committed a violent theft using a weapon in the context of a public establishment, albeit temporarily. During the recent hearing, both defendants admitted the theft and the prosecutor sought a sentence of five years and three months in prison. The court, evaluating the crime of unlawful detention as part of the robbery, determined that the Civil Guard arrived within minutes after the notification and that the victim’s detention did not exceed what was strictly necessary to execute the robbery. Consequently, the court issued a sentence of three and a half years in prison, noting that the act of detaining the victim was integral to the enforcement dynamics of the robbery.