Glenn Wickman
A 22-YEAR-OLD man from Valencia is facing a murder rap for defending his mum against her violent ex-partner.
Francisco is accused of homicide after grappling with the 47-year-old man when the attacker visited the family home in Torrent on November 25, 2019 and grabbed Francisco’s mother by the neck with the intention of injuring her.
The man was rushed to hospital after the struggle with Francisco but reportedly refused attempts by the medical staff to perform a scan to check for internal injuries, discharging himself the same day.
He was convicted of domestic violence in an express trial the following day and sentenced to 40 days’ community work, but collapsed in the street after leaving the court and died on the spot.
Forensics later established that the cause of death had been a ruptured spleen, and found that the man – a certified drug addict suffering from cirrhosis of the liver – had consumed alcohol, cocaine and tranquilisers in the hours before his death.
Francisco has repeatedly denied punching the deceased during their struggle, and the judge this week heard that the man injured himself by repeatedly bashing his own head against the floor while warning the mother and son that he was going to ‘ruin their lives’.
The incident was also witnessed by the man’s seven-year-old daughter, who was also cross-examined by the court, and took place after the mother had called the police and was waiting for them to arrive.
Francisco’s defence team are calling for all charges to be dropped in order to prevent him from having to go to court, insisting that there is ‘no reasonable evidence of criminality’ on behalf of the defendant.
His lawyers believe the man died from his bad state of health and his refusal to undergo medical tests at the hospital that could have saved his life.
Furthermore, they point out that Francisco’s only aim was to protect his mother from a violent attack, never to hurt the deceased.
The judge will now decide whether to launch court proceedings.
READ MORE:
- Domestic violence suspect escapes after stabbing wife in Spain’s Castellon
- Former Valencia soldier stabs ex-partner six times in the street in broad daylight on the morning of International Women’s…
