Mayhem unfolded in Upper Nalón after a violent incident that drew sharp attention to a case of gender-based violence in the region. A 48-year-old man, with a history of violent crimes though not previously recorded for ill-treatment toward a partner, was arrested following a highly visible operation by the Civil Guard. The alleged victim, a woman, sustained injuries described as serious, and she was transported first to Valle del Nalón Hospital and later transferred to Asturias Central University Hospital (HUCA) in Oviedo for further treatment. Her condition showed signs of progression toward improvement, but the injuries remained severe. The episode adds to a troubling pattern of sexist violence that Spain has faced, coinciding with a winter marked by multiple femicides and a national tally approaching fifty victims across the country in the period.
The events occurred on New Year’s Eve, with the arrest taking place later that day. Campo de Caso, a quiet municipality of roughly three hundred residents, was placed under the spotlight as the Civil Guard moved to detain the suspect on the first day of 2023. Several armed units were deployed to carry out the operation, and the man, a resident of the town center known as El Campu, was taken into custody. The victim’s initial hospital intake was at Valle del Nalón before the transfer to the central hospital in Oviedo. The woman is a mother to five children, three of whom are minors. One of her daughters was among those who reported the assault to authorities.
At nine in the morning, patrols from the Pola de Laviana Civil Guard station appeared at El Campu to secure the arrest. When doors remained shut and replies were not forthcoming, officers summoned USECIC (Citizen Security Unit) based in Gijón. The operation continued for several hours, culminating around 14:00 with the formal arrest. The suspect has no recorded history of ill-treatment toward a partner, but there is a documented past involving other violent offenses. After a court appearance, he was remanded to the Asturias prison system.
Man arrested for brutally beating his partner in Asturias
This case is not isolated in recent months. Caso has already witnessed disturbing episodes of gender-based violence. About eighteen months earlier, Maria Teresa Aladro, known locally as Tere, a resident of Caleao and neighbor to Pola de Laviana, was fatally shot with a hunting rifle. The husband, then 48 years old and a father of a young son aged twenty, faced the legal process after presenting himself to authorities. He had reportedly become estranged from his partner for a period, and those close to the family described him as highly jealous and troubled by long-standing tensions.
The latest incident of gender violence in Caso arrives at a moment when Spain is grappling with a somber year. The national record shows six women killed in acts tied to gender-based violence, and the recent death of Soraya Suárez, a 32-year-old from Avilés, on December 22 has deepened concerns about safety in intimate relationships. Soraya’s partner faces justice after her death, with authorities continuing to investigate the exact circumstances surrounding the events at an apartment on Murcia Street in La Carriona. The broader political and civic discourse reflects ongoing debate on the roots of male violence and the protections needed for victims across communities in Asturias and beyond.