Malaga resident avoids prison by admitting to attempted murder of neighbour

The events took place on the night of 19 March 2023. The assailant and the victim have known each other since childhood as they grew up in the same neighbourhood.

At around 1am, the defendant turned up on Calle Fuente Leganitos, where the victim was with other neighbours.

The two had previously been involved in a dispute for reasons which, according to the ruling, remain unknown. The defendant approached the victim, pushed him off the chair he was sitting on and stabbed him in the abdomen.

The victim sustained injuries that could have been fatal had he not undergone surgery so quickly. The stab wound punctured his colon and caused kidney damage, among other injuries. It took him a total of 70 days to recover and he spent seven days in hospital in a serious condition. Among other aftereffects, he is left with an 18-centimetre scar on his abdomen.

At the time of the offence, the defendant was using narcotic substances that, according to the ruling, impacted his volitional and cognitive faculties.

By the date of the trial, he had already paid the 25,500-euro compensation imposed on him. The court sentenced him to two years in prison and banned him from approaching within 200 metres of the victim, his home, his workplace and any other place he frequents. In addition, he cannot contact him for four years.

Despite the conviction and the proven facts, the defendant will not have to serve his prison sentence. Neither the public nor the private prosecution have objected to the agreement, given that the defendant meets the criteria for leniency: he has no previous criminal record, the sentence does not exceed two years and he has paid the full amount of civil liability.

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