Man sentenced to 14 years for driving car into busy terrace bar in La Coruña
The accused accepted a reduced sentence after admitting the facts. In August 2024, he rammed his vehicle three times against the bar O Pinchiño in Os Mallos, injuring several people.
Man sentenced to 14 years for driving car into busy terrace bar in La Coruña
A man has been sentenced to fourteen and a half years in prison after crashing his car repeatedly against the exterior of a hospitality establishment in the Os Mallos neighbourhood of La Coruña on the night of 10 August 2024. The agreed settlement, ratified this Tuesday by the Provincial Court of La Coruña, reduces the initial request of twenty-nine years to half.
The reduction came following the admission of guilt and an agreement between the parties. The defence lawyer for the accused secured the consideration of two mitigating factors: partial reparation of the harm caused and a psychological disorder, as the defendant suffers from various long-standing mental health problems.
The court imposed two years for reckless driving with clear disregard for the lives of others; two and a half years for each of the five attempted murders; and a financial penalty of 180 euros for minor injuries. The judge who presided over the hearing explained that the execution of the sentence would follow the rule of three times the longest individual sentence, limiting imprisonment to a maximum of seven and a half years, including the period already spent in preventive custody.
The incident originated hours earlier, when a couple argued in the premises and the woman was detained and taken to a medical centre. After being discharged, she contacted the now-convicted man to drive her home. She later returned to the establishment to confront her partner.
From a distance, the sentenced man witnessed the argument and decided to act. He switched off his car's lights, accelerated and drove up onto the pavement, crashing into a barrier separating the seating area from the public road, where fifteen people were sitting, one in a wheelchair. He reversed and drove into the table where his acquaintances were, causing them to fall to the ground. The attack left two more people injured.
He then left the car and physically assaulted the woman's boyfriend, being overpowered by five customers. When these patrons remonstrated with him from the terrace, he got back into the vehicle, reversed and rammed it a third time, destroying the outdoor furniture. Fortunately, there were no fatalities.
The owner of the establishment, who also suffered injuries, stated that she had to close the business for more than sixty days. "I lost all my night-time clientele overnight; many people don't come because they're afraid of sitting there," she recounted two years later. Experts assessed the material damage at 24,000 euros, to which were added costs for the business closure and other damages.
The hearing to set financial compensation for those harmed will take place this Wednesday.
Source: ABC
Source: ABC