Malaga father sentenced for threatening teacher who reprimanded students during school trip

The events took place during the 2024-25 academic year. The school had organised a trip to France. On the night of 5 April, the teacher told the students that if they kept on causing a disturbance at the hotel, they would not be going to Disneyland the following day as planned.

One of the students complained to her father, who then texted the teacher: "If you dare to send my daughter on a plane to Malaga on her own, we'll sort you out." The teacher and the parent had a phone conversation, in which the father also threatened legal action.

The father demanded that the supervisor ensure his daughter could enjoy the activity they had paid for. "You'd better sort this out so my daughter can enjoy what we've paid for," he told him. He also called him "incompetent".

The court of first instance handed down the sentence on 19 September 2025. It imposed a fine of two months, at a daily rate of ten euros, in addition to the costs of the proceedings, on the father.

In his appeal to the provincial court, the father attributed his words to being "on edge" due to his daughter's situation. He agreed that the words he had used were inappropriate, but said the content of the messages could not be regarded as a criminal offence because it did not foreshadow any harm.

The provincial court, however, dismissed his appeal, stating that his messages do constitute a minor offence of making threats, "as they foreshadow harm, even if the seriousness of that harm is minor".

The costs of the appeal will be borne by the court ex officio, as no "recklessness or bad faith" on the part of the father in lodging the appeal was found.

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