The family of the accused faced intense scrutiny as a fire tore through their Alicante home. Investigators say the incident began when the suspect allegedly set fire to a mattress in his bedroom and then fled the residence. The blaze started in the early hours, and fortunately the rapid response of the fire brigade prevented the flames from spreading, sparing the occupants from serious harm. The prosecution has charged the man with arson, seeking ten years of imprisonment as the sentence for the crime.
The court hearing faced further complications when the accused failed to appear on the scheduled Monday session at the County Court. His absence prompted questions about the proceedings, but the court proceeded with witnesses who are closely related to the defendant, including his mother and two sisters. Although the defendants retain the right not to testify, the Prosecutor’s Office regards these testimonies as essential for establishing how the fire began and how the events unfolded. The hearing was postponed to November 10, and the legal process will clarify what happens next based on the availability of the parties and the evidence presented. It was noted that the accused had been arrested less than two weeks earlier after breaching restraining orders that prohibited contacting his mother and another family member linked to alleged sexual abuse involving his nephew. A history of disputes and arrests has marked the defendant, who has accumulated 78 prior arrests for various offenses, including two recent breaches of distance orders in the last two weeks.
The night of the incident, the family lived in a small apartment in northern Alicante with up to ten people present, including the accused, his mother, two sisters, and six young children. The prosecution details that the fire originated in the bedroom area and that the occupants were warned by the alarms and smoke before making a coordinated exit. The fire department was quick to respond, preventing a larger catastrophe. The prosecution has requested a lengthy prison term for arson, reflecting the serious nature of the charges and the potential danger to the family members who were inside that night.
Previously, the accused had admitted liability for the fire and the surrounding facts. In the latest court appearance, he altered his stance and denied that the fire was intentional. He suggested that perhaps he fell asleep with a cigarette and that the mattress might not have been set alight deliberately. A fire expert consulted by the defense noted that in similar cases the person who held the cigarette is often the one who ends up in the flames, but there was no evidence of the suspect being present in the room when the fire began. The police report emphasizes that no one else was found to be in the residence at the critical moment, leaving room for debate about how the fire started and who was responsible. The investigator described the incident as potentially a great misfortune, underscoring the complexity of determining fault in such cases.
The prosecutor stressed the importance of understanding how the residents discovered the fire and what actions they took in response. The question of whether any occupants would exercise their right to testify or remain silent became a point of focus for the court as the case progressed. The legal process continues to unfold, guided by the testimonies of those who witnessed the events or who were present during the emergency response.
law enforcement officers who were dispatched to the scene after the arrest reported that the defendant had subjected his nephew to threats and insults over a period of about two years. The nephew had been harassed at times in public and was accused of relying on the family for protection. On the night of the incident, authorities say the nephew appeared at the family residence, where he was allegedly threatened with a knife if seen alone on the street. He reportedly damaged a vehicle before leaving. After the operation, officers located him at the mother’s home and decided to remove him from the location due to the ongoing risk. The investigation into these threats forms part of the broader legal proceedings surrounding the family and the accused.