'I only wanted to scare her': El Melillero denies attempting to kill ex-girlfriend in horrific acid attack in Malaga

The man who hurled acid onto his ex-girlfriend and her friend in Malaga and left them with lifelong injuries has told a court that he was only trying to "give her a scare".

The trial for José Arcadio D. N., known as 'El Melillero', started on Monday 13 November in the Provincial Court of Malaga. The Prosecutor's Office is asking for 51 years and 6 months in prison for five alleged crimes, ranging from double attempted murder to membership of a criminal organisation, as well as harassment, habitual abuse and threats.

On 12 January in 2021, at about 2.10pm, El Melillero was driving a vehicle in which another of the defendants, J. J. G. R., also known as ‘Poti’, was a passenger. He drove past his ex-partner and her friend who were sat in another vehicle in Cártama and sulphuric acid was hurled at them. The two victims were rushed to hospital and suffered lifelong injuries.

According to the main accused, who shared the dock with five other defendants, his intention was to "scare" his ex-girlfriend by pouring the acid onto her vehicle because she would not agree to talk to him after their relationship broke up. He asked Poti to buy the substance, but was unaware he had actually purchased sulphuric acid, he told the court.

El Melillero was sitting in the driver's seat and it was Poti, in the passenger's seat who threw the acid into the car, the court heard. "I was driving, I didn't notice if (the victims) had the window down or not," he said. After the attack, he claimed he fled the area "immediately". However, the prosecutors claimed El Melillero remained at the scene watching and laughing as the two women suffered from their burns.

He also denied allegations of previous gender violence against his ex-girlfriend and that the day before the acid attack he had threatened to kill her. El Melillero also did not admit, as the prosecution maintains, he had watched over his ex-girlfriend in the days leading to the attack. According to what he said to the victims, both she and her friend knew that he had placed geolocation devices in their cars. His ex-girlfriend also claimed she was receiving threats from people linked to drug trafficking as a result of the geolocation device. El Melillero also denied he was a member of a criminal organisation.

The trial continues next Monday 20 November, with the two victims of the acid attack scheduled to testify. The ex-girlfriend suffered burns to 45% of her body and needed 12 operations while her friend suffered burns to 20% of her body and underwent two operations.