New trial date set for 'El Melillero' acid attack on his ex-partner and her friend in Cártama

This coming month, the Provincial Court of Malaga is scheduled to begin the trial of 'El Melillero', the man who allegedly tried to kill his ex-girlfriend and her friend after attacking them with acid in the town of Cártama. The hearing, which had to be postponed in June, will have its first session on 13th November, and will continue on the 20th, 24th, 27th, 30th and 1st December.

The Public Prosecutor's Office is asking for the substantial sentence for 'El Melillero' on the grounds that he is responsible for five crimes, ranging from double attempted murder to alleged membership of a criminal organisation. He is also charged with harassment, habitual ill-treatment and threats.

The charges, as set out in the prosecution statement, to which SUR has had access, date back to 12 January 2021. On that day, according to the public prosecutor, the accused attacked his ex-girlfriend and a friend who was with her "with the aim of making an attempt on her life" and causing her the "most extreme pain".

According to the prosecutor, the defendant expressed contempt for his female victims subjecting them to “humiliation, domination, subordination and objectification” in an allegedly preconceived plan that ended with the throwing of sulphuric acid at his ex-girlfriend and her friend.

The prosecutor stated in its report that, in order to carry out the double attempted murder, he had an agreement with a series of people who are also included in this case and who were part of a criminal organisation dedicated to drug trafficking and crimes against property. The gang leader was, allegedly, 'El Melillero'.

On the day in question, at around 2.10pm, the main accused person was driving a vehicle in which another accused was the co-driver. In the car, according to the prosecutor, they were carrying a litre of sulphuric acid with a purity of 98 per cent. It was allegedly the second defendant who threw this substance into the car in which the two victims were sittiing.

Allegedly, the co-driver, acting on his boss’s orders, threw the acid through the driver's window, where the ex-partner of 'El Melillero' was sitting, causing the woman and her companion "severe burns". According to the prosecution statement, the defendant stared at the two women to make sure "of the result he had foreseen" while he laughed.

In addition to the acid attack, the prosecution also accuses the alleged gang leader of harassment, threats and ill-treatment. According to the writ, the day before the assault, the main accused approached his ex-partner and threatened to kill her.

That day, 'El Melillero' allegedly met his ex-girlfriend and her friend, who were inside a vehicle, and asked the young woman with whom he had had a relationship to roll down the window, which she refused to do. According to the prosecutor, the defendant then pointed to his companion and said: "This one is going to take care of you, he's going to kill you".

After threatening her with these words, the defendant's companion allegedly put his hand to his neck, "making the sign to slit it so that they both felt very afraid to stay in the place and left in a taxi," according to the prosecution statement.

On another occasion, on an unspecified day but also close to the date of the acid attack, 'El Melillero' allegedly met his ex-girlfriend at a petrol station and told her: "I'm going to kill you, I'm going to ruin your life, I'm going to destroy your beautiful face. I swear on my son".

The writ also refers to the purchase of acid for 20 euros, and details the way in which the main accused found his ex-girlfriend. According to the prosecutor, 'El Melillero' placed two geolocation beacons in the lower part of his victims’ vehicles, without their consent and without their knowledge, "to control their movements".

The Public Prosecutor's Office is asking for 51 and a half years in prison for the main accused for two crimes of attempted murder (17 years in prison for each one); one of membership of a criminal organisation (seven years); two of serious threats (two years for each crime); another two crimes of harassment (two years for each one of them); and a crime of habitual abuse, for which it is seeking a further 30 months in prison.

The prosecution is also accusing the other four defendants in the case of the two attempted murders for which it seeks a 34 year jail sentence. It also requests that the defendants, jointly and severally, compensate the ex-partner of 'El Melillero' for injuries and after-effects for the sum of 1,133,401 euros, and another 312,522 euros for her friend.