The Barcelona court convicted two men of assault and established penalties for a violent incident that erupted after a co-worker mocked another for his sexual orientation, following a night out in October 2018 in Badalona, near Barcelona.
As reported by Efe, the court documented that the defendants repeatedly kicked and punched the victim, hurling homophobic insults such as “faggot” while the attack continued and the victim was brought to the ground.
The ruling imposed a sentence of prison time amounting to one year and four months for both defendants, along with additional sanctions. They were barred from approaching within more than 1,000 meters of the victim and were prohibited from communicating with him for four years. The total financial penalties reached 2,040 euros, and the victim was also awarded 1,200 euros in compensation.
In addition to the assault charges, the defendants faced related convictions involving fundamental rights and public liberties violations, as well as offenses related to moral integrity and minor injuries.
The sentence came in slightly below the prosecutor’s initial request, which had sought one year and nine months of imprisonment for the two defendants.
The court acquitted a third individual who had been involved in the incident, a coworker who had a heated argument and allegedly made homophobic comments. This individual was fined 360 euros for a minor misconduct offense.
At the hearing, the victim described a night when his employer’s team had dinner and went out in the Barcelona area around the Olympic Port. Around 5 a.m., during the return trip in two cars, tensions escalated between the group and the third defendant. They exited the vehicles amid rising tensions and violent behavior, accompanied by homophobic shouts aimed at the plaintiff.
The article explains that the confrontation occurred near the manager’s residence, where the co-workers had gathered previously. The person involved stated he had left his home with his girlfriend and went downstairs to try and separate the others during the escalating clash.
The victim recounted that, at that moment, he was alone with the two defendants. They continued to insult, kick, and strike him because of his sexual orientation, even after he fell to the ground in the Badalona industrial area where the events unfolded.
A member of the Mossos d’Esquadra who assisted the victim testified that the injured party was found near the Badalona promenade by the train tracks, visibly nervous and unable to communicate effectively, highlighting the severity of the incident.
All accounts point to a nighttime confrontation that reflected a hostile atmosphere and the impact of bias-motivated aggression in a workplace context, with authorities documenting the sequence of verbal harassment and physical violence that followed a social gathering in the early hours of the morning.