In Albatera, a man was sentenced to mass Elche-based condemnation: two years and three months in prison and a fine of 180 euros for attempting to beat someone to death with a concrete piece. The ruling explains that the alleged aggressor had an acquaintance in Albatera who did not lend him five euros. This individual reportedly attacked the local police officer who came to assist the victim using the same stone. The prosecutor had initially sought harsher penalties, citing crimes including attempted murder, assault, and injuries, but the request was reduced to the two years and three months after a compatible agreement with the European Union context was reached. The defense was led by lawyer José Luis Sánchez Calvo.
The defendant had been in preventive detention since September 2, 2022, the date of the incident, and following the agreement, the court decided to release him. The sentence also includes the postponement of the execution of the prison term for three years, with the condition that the defendant commits no crime within that period and that precautionary measures may be taken accordingly.
Damages
Additionally, the court ordered the defendant to pay 11,000 euros in compensation to the acquaintance he struck and 2,200 euros in compensation to the local police officer who was assaulted while assisting the victim. It is noted that the accused had already paid 2,000 euros before the hearing. The person claiming compensation for attempted murder is prohibited from approaching the victim within a distance of more than 500 meters and from contacting him for a period of six years.
The events admitted by the defendant and deemed proven occurred on September 2, 2022, at approximately seven in the evening at the intersection of Hondón de los Frailes Street and State Capitol Street in Albatera. The defendant met an acquaintance and asked for five euros. When told that he did not have any, the defendant pushed him, causing him to fall to the ground. With the intent to end the man’s life, he then grabbed a piece of concrete and began striking him repeatedly on the head.
The victim remained semi-conscious as the defendant sat astride him and continued the blows to the head, according to the sentence. An off-duty local police officer observed the assault and approached the scene, identifying herself as an officer and warning the defendant to stop, or he would kill her. The defendant ignored the warning and attempted to pick up the stone to strike the officer. The officer again identified herself and intervened, trying to restrain him and seize the concrete.
The officer and the suspect fell to the ground. The officer was unable to calm him alone due to his extreme aggression. He even managed to break away and again threaten his acquaintance who had not lent him money. Two additional individuals came to assist the officer, and together the three of them subdued the man until a Local Police patrol arrived. Meanwhile, bystanders assisted the victim, applying cloths to cover the bleeding wound on his head.
The officer sustained multiple traumas and bruising to the wrist, while the acquaintance suffered head trauma, bruises, and a fracture from the confrontation.