Pair arrested for death of two-year-old girl electrocuted at fairground in Spain released by court as investigations continue

A court in the Murcia region of Spain has decreed the provisional release of the two detainees in relation to the death of Amira - the two-year-old girl who was electrocuted on Sunday, 15 June, while playing on the 'Camas Locas' trampolines installed on a private plot during the local festivities in Alquerías.

The alleged perpetrators of involuntary manslaughter are the owner of the trampolines and one of his employees. Both of them have been ordered to periodically appear before the court. The owner has refused to testify on the advice of his lawyer.

The pair were arrested on Thursday morning, charged with involuntary manslaughter of a two-year-old girl and four other counts of injury, which concerned an eight-year-old girl and two boys, 11 and 12, as well as one more person who was injured less seriously.

The owner and the employee have been provisionally released, while the investigation continues, carrying out technical and expert reports to determine the state of the installation.

The investigators are collaborating with experts to carry out the analysis of the private installation. The main hypothesis points to a grounding failure that may have allowed electric current to pass through the surface where the children were playing. The judge has asked the Murcia city hall for all the documentation relating to the installation including certificates, technical reviews and permits.

According to the council, the fair was held on private land, which means that the responsibility for the technical conditions rested with the fairgrounds. Mayor José Ballesta expressed his deep sadness regarding what happened and guaranteed the collaboration of the town hall during the investigation. The regional government of Murcia has confirmed that it had not received any request to authorise the fair.

Jesús C. F., known as 'El Gitano', a native of Alguazas, is the owner of the trampolines where the girl died. He has more than 20 years of experience in the amusement trade. According to his close circle, he suffered an anxiety attack and had to be admitted to hospital after learning of the girl's death. His relatives said that he had all the permits and revisions in order and that at no time did he try to evade justice. "He has been very affected from the first moment," they stated.

The death of little Amira has caused a great commotion in Alquerías. The minor was playing on the ride with other children when she suddenly collapsed. "Foam was coming out of her mouth and she was bleeding from the nose," said Almira's neighbour, who took the girl's family into her home after they had arrived from Algeria four months earlier.