Two young people were arrested after a confrontation that revealed a pattern of intimidation and hate. One of them carried a significant criminal record, and both received sentences totaling one and a half years in prison for two threats and for an offense against the exercise of fundamental rights. They admitted to harassing two transgender individuals in Valencia, chasing them by car, and threatening to kill them because of their sexual orientation. They also threatened to harm them with chains and boasted about pouring gasoline to set them on fire, a sequence described in court as deliberate harassment intended to instill fear.
The defendants used demeaning and violent slurs, including phrases such as faggots and shemales, and openly stated that victims should be killed. These words appear in the prosecutor’s account of the testimonies, which included insults aimed at a third person shortly before the main incidents began. According to the prosecutor, the language and conduct escalated into threats that suggested a desire to crush the victims, underscoring the criminal nature of the actions as motivated by prejudice against sexual orientation and gender identity.
During the procedural hearing this morning in the Fifth Chamber of the Valencia County Court, both youths accepted prison terms of up to one and a half years, with six months allocated to each offense. Initially, one defendant faced a sentence totaling three years and nine months, a figure requested by the prosecution following the evidence presented. The court’s decision reflected a combination of custodial time and the seriousness of the hate-driven offenses involved.
Beyond imprisonment, the judges imposed a fine of 360 euros and ordered joint and several damages amounting to 8,500 euros for the psychological harm caused to the victims. In addition, a five-year ban on contact with the affected individuals was established, along with a 300-meter radius restriction during this period. A separate provision also restricted communications with the three individuals who faced homophobic abuse. This suite of measures aimed to limit further harassment and safeguard the victims as they move forward, according to judicial statements and the sentencing record.
The events reportedly unfolded in the early hours of November 23, 2019, on Joaquín Ballester street in Valencia. The alleged aggressors were in a car and directed their insults at a man in public, repeatedly using phrases that asserted a violent intent. When the man responded to the provocation, they intensified their threat by displaying a chain and threatening to crush him. The situation then intensified as the assailants removed the two transgender victims from the scene and continued to press the intimidation, demanding information about what they had been charged with and repeating dehumanizing terms. The victims attempted to escape, but the defendants pursued them in another vehicle, their driving described as aimed at terrorizing and coercing compliance, while uttering threats to set the victims on fire.
One of the defendants, represented by attorney Jorge Abadia, faced a potential suspension of the sentence if they complied with conditions such as paying the liability amount and participating in an equality retraining course, provided there were no new offenses within three years. The court noted that if the accused committed any new crime within that period, the Chamber would reconsider the possibility of suspending the prison term given the long record of prior offenses. This conditional path reflects the court’s discretion in balancing punishment with opportunities for rehabilitation, contingent on future conduct and accountability.
In the broader context, the case underscores the persistent challenge of hate crimes against LGBTQ+ individuals in public spaces. It illustrates how verbal abuse can escalate into violent threats and how the justice system responds with a combination of punitive and preventive measures intended to deter similar conduct in the future. The court’s ruling aligns with national and local efforts to protect vulnerable communities from bias-motivated aggression, while also emphasizing the importance of ongoing monitoring and support for the victims and the community at large. Citations to court records and statements from the Fifth Chamber provide the authoritative basis for the summary of events and sentencing details in this report. Court records indicate that the sentence and online case references reflect the formal findings of the proceeding and the legal standards applied to bias-motivated offenses. (Source: Valencia County Court, Fifth Chamber, case documentation and statements from the prosecutor).