Kirsty Mckenzie
A MAN who wore a ski mask as he threatened a British couple at knifepoint in a terrifying attempted murder and robbery has been jailed for just three years.
The thug acted as part of a savage gang that targeted the husband and wife who were sound asleep in their Mijas villa on the night of July 4, 2011.
The terrified couple were woken by the sound of smashing and banging as the thugs broke in through a glass of the main door of the home in the Entrerrios urbanization.
The husband and wife were then confronted by the armed intruders who were wielding a knife and wearing ski masks and gloves.
The victims told the robbers they had nothing of any value but the masked thugs immediately launched a ferocious attack, demanding money and stabbing the man in the chest.
Horrified, the wife raced to defend her husband with a compressed air pistol but was unable to release the safety lock before the attackers hit her over the head with an iron bar.
The gang continued to beat and stab the man all over his body, while his wife lay unconscious on the ground.
They then duct-taped the couple and fled the scene with a gold ring, two mobile phones, an MP3 player and the victims’ wallets, which contained just €20.
The court heard that the man was so savagely attacked that his injuries took 236 days to heal and was left with scarring and multiple fractures. His hand was stabbed so badly that he had to have a finger amputated.
His wife was lucky to escape only with minor injuries, including trauma to her head and contusion of the occipital lobe.
Officers were only able to hunt down one of the assailants for who the prosecutor demanded an 11-year prison sentence at trial.
But the judge handed down a sentence of just three years after considering several mitigating factors including the defendant’s drug addiction.
The violent thug, who was charged with aggravated robbery, was also ordered to pay a total of €45,000 compensation to the couple.
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