Local
Parents and landowner agree to settle Julen case out of court
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David Serrano faced charges of manslaughter through negligence after the toddler fell down a borehole last year on his land. If the judge confirms the agreement, the trial due to start on Tuesday will be avoided
The parents of Julen, the toddler who died after falling down a hole in Totalán near Malaga a year ago, and the owner of the land where the incident occurred, reached an initial agreement to settle the case out of court on Monday.
The trial, in which landowner David Serrano faced charges of manslaughter through negligence, was due to start on Tuesday. He has accepted a sentence and agreed to pay damages to Julen's parents, José Roselló and Vicky García, SUR has confirmed.
Lawyers representing Serrano and the family met on Monday with the public prosecution to discuss the terms of the settlement. This was approved and now has to be ratified by the judge. The sentence would then be passed on Tuesday, avoiding the trial that was expected to be held over six sessions.
The agreement would imply that Serrano's sentence, expected to be one year, would be suspended as he has no criminal record.
The decision comes just one year after the tragedy when the two-year-old fell down a 100-metre-deep borehole, sparking a 13-day-long rescue operation involving 300 firefighters, Guardia Civil officers, engineers and protección Civil volunteers, among others.
The family had been spending the day in the country with Serrano and his girlfriend, who is Julen's father's cousin.
