The number 1 court of the Court of First Instance of Arrecife has sentenced a Local Police officer of Arrecife for assaulting a man during a pat-down in the bathrooms of the Ciudad Deportiva de Lanzarote during the Lava Live Fest celebration in July 2024. The Court has sentenced the officer for a minor offense of assault and battery for having "exceeded" the use of "minimum and essential force".
According to the proven facts of the judicial ruling, which is not yet final and can be appealed before the Provincial Court, the agent accompanied the complainant to one of the bathrooms in the venue to identify and search him. Once there, the police officer "pushed and pinned" the complainant against the wall, hit him several times with an open hand on the head, causing a piercing to come off, and hit him in the side.
The sentence states that the victim suffered several physical injuries, including intense headache, torn ear, nasal septum inflammation, a contracture in the trapezius area, and anxiety, among other after-effects. She also had to receive medical treatment for a month, with five days during which she was unable to carry out her usual occupations.
The agent's defense tried to achieve his acquittal, alleging that the facts had prescribed since a year had passed without proceedings being opened against him. The court noted that there was confusion between the agent's real name and the one that appeared in the proceedings, but dismissed this error "as irrelevant" and alleged that during the investigation, facts occurred that interrupted this prescription.
More than 1,200 euros fine
The Court sentenced the agent to two months' fine with a daily rate of ten euros and ruled that the local police officer must compensate the victim with 1,247 euros for civil liability. In contrast, the complainant claimed 2,265 euros in compensation.
After the sentence, which was handed down on April 14, the Local Police officer had five days to file an appeal, which should be resolved before the Provincial Court of Las Palmas. If not, the ruling will be considered final and the conviction must be executed within ten days, with the convicted person having to pay the fine and compensate the victim. For the moment, it is unknown if the officer has appealed the ruling.
The Court of First Instance states that in case of non-payment, the convicted person shall serve one day of deprivation of liberty for each two daily installments not paid, which may be served under a permanent location regime.
