Arriate murder trial begins

THE trial for murdered Arriate youngster Maria Esther Jimenez, 13, got underway this week.

More than 30 witnesses are expected to be called over the next three days in the Juvenile Court in Malaga as 17-year-old Ruben V.R. takes to the stand.

The prosecution has called for eight years for the minor – the maximum sentence that can be imposed for his age – who pleaded innocent in June.

It comes as around 500 villagers held vigil on Monday to demand justice for Maria Esther, whose battered body was discovered in a pool pump house on January 20.

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