The Malaga Prosecutor’s Office has requested a total of fifty-one and a half years in prison for a man nicknamed El Mellallero, accused of an acid attack against his former girlfriend and a friend in the town of Cártama, Málaga, in January 2021. The attack is described as an attempted murder, with five other defendants agreeing to cooperate, one of them having thrown the substance at the victims.
The interim verdict summary outlines charges against the primary defendant for two counts of attempted murder, each carrying a proposed seventeen-year term, as well as membership in a criminal organization, with a seven-year sentence requested for that count. Additional accusations include two counts of serious threats, two years for each offense, two counts of harassment, each carrying twenty-four months, and one count of ill-treatment worth thirty months.
Preliminary Prosecutor’s Office notes, to which Europa Press has access, contend that the defendants belong to an organization in which the main defendant, allegedly assuming patronage duties, directed drug trafficking and sporadic crimes against property. Other participants are described as carrying out subordinate roles associated with the organization, following orders in real time.
The acid attack occurred in Cártama shortly after 14:00 on 12 January 2021. The defendant and one of the victims had been involved in an emotionally charged relationship from May to December 2020, which ended amid allegations of disrespect, insults, and violence. The ex-partner is described as having been obsessed with the breakup and resisting it.
According to the public indictment, the principal defendant devised a deliberate plan for both the execution of the attack and the subsequent attempt to escape. Other defendants report that the vehicle carrying the two women was halted by the main accused, who leveraged his perceived leadership within the organization.
The prosecutor states that El Mellallero acted with the intent to subject the victim to extreme pain and humiliation, undermining her autonomy and dignity. The final goal, as described, involved domination and subjugation, culminating in actions meant to endanger lives and to degrade the women publicly.
It is alleged that another defendant acted as pilot while carrying a one-liter container of sulfuric acid. The group reportedly directed the main defendant and his associate to move outside and throw the acid into the vehicle from the driver’s side as the victims were onboard.
The attack caused severe burns and forced the victims to leave the enclosed space to avoid asphyxiation from fumes. Witnesses recount the main defendant laughing and watching confidently as the incident unfolded, moments that included a collision with another car and a lamppost after the attack.
Both women sustained serious injuries requiring urgent hospital care to save their lives. The ex-girlfriend reportedly suffered burns covering about 45% of her body, underwent twelve surgeries, and faced long-term psychological effects and diminished quality of life, including an inability to practice her former profession. The other victim sustained burns covering roughly 20% of her body and required multiple surgical interventions as her wounds began to stabilize. Both women endure severe post-traumatic stress disorder and ongoing psychological sequelae.
Prosecutors assert that the defendants organized themselves to facilitate the crime, with El Mellallero and his co-defendant allegedly planning to spray acid the day before the attack while in Cártama and approaching the victims’ vehicle. On the day of the incident, the main defendant allegedly urged his ex-partner to roll down the window, but she hesitated, and the danger she faced escalated as the situation unfolded. The victims were reportedly terrified, and one witness described a piercing threat that implied bodily harm.
Public prosecutors contend that El Mellallero ordered one of the defendants, his closest associate, to exit the car and to obtain the acid bottle that had been prepared. They also allege that the accused helped others escape before his arrest four days later in Mijas (Málaga).
Evidence suggests that days earlier, geolocation markers were placed on the victims’ movements, apparently without their consent or knowledge, to monitor and control their movements. The victims were living with the accused and had ended their relationship, a rupture that prosecutors say stemmed from insults and aggression, followed by persistent calls and threats after the separation.
Within this context, fear and harassment forced the women to change many daily routines, as they were accompanied by friends for protection. The prosecutor’s office seeks a near fifty-year sentence for the main defendant and a twenty-year ban on presence or residence in Cártama, arguing aggravating factors linked to gender and kinship dynamics.
The remaining defendants face charges of two counts of attempted murder and membership in a criminal organization, with the charges including serious threats for the associate who was in the car. The combined claim for these defendants reaches thirty-eight years in prison in total.
The prosecutor also seeks compensation: approximately 1.1 million euros to the ex-girlfriend and about 312,522 euros to the other victim for injuries and lasting sequelae. The case centers on a complex network of alleged criminal activity, coercion, and acts intended to cause extreme harm, all framed within the broader context of organized crime and personal violence.