British man accused of killing young victim in road rage incident on Costa del Sol found guilty

The British man accused of stabbing a victim to death following a traffic incident in Estepona almost four years ago has been found guilty of murder by a jury.

The jury reached its verdict on Tuesday 1 October following the trial of the incident which happened in November of 2020. According to the charges, the defendant was driving a rented vehicle at the time when he had to brake suddenly at a pedestrian crossing at a housing estate in Estepona to avoid hitting the victim. The pair exchanged words, before the defendant started to drive off, the court heard.

The victim then ran up to the car to reprimand the driver to which "the accused got out of the vehicle and, after a struggle, and with the intention of ending his life, kicked him in the chest and stabbed him". He also punched the young man several times, who had no possibility of defending himself, given the "surprise" nature of the attack after a mere verbal confrontation, the court heard. As a consequence of "the brutal aggression", the young man died, according to the charges. The attacker stabbed the victim in the chest, which penetrated his heart, causing massive external bleeding that led to hypovolemic shock, which resulted in death. The defendant then fled the scene and headed back to the UK, via Portugal, until he was captured and sent back to Spain to face justice.

The private prosecution team, which has always considered the facts to constitute the crime of murder, is asking for a 22-year prison sentence. After the reading of the verdict, a hearing was held where the prosecution requested the attacker's imprisonment until the sentence is delivered, which was agreed by the judge.