Laurence Dollimore
A YOUNG man has been handed a two-year prison sentence after accidentally killing a mugger while defending a woman on the Costa del Sol.
The unnamed man has 15 days to present himself to the authorities or a warrant will be issued for his arrest, a Malaga judge said this week.
It comes after the man chased down a thief at around 7am in February 2015 after hearing the screams of a nearby female cleaner in Fuengirola.
The robber had beaten the hotel worker and made off with her handbag, causing the bystander to give chase.
He caught up with the criminal, who was a wanted drug addict with a record of robbing people, before a struggle ensued.
The man only punched the mugger twice to retrieve the bag, but massive brain damage was caused when he fell and hit his head on the floor.
He died in hospital two days later.
During the trial, the defense team said the death was made far more likely due to the mugger’s long history of alcoholism and drug use.
Lawyer Alfredo Herrera Rueda this week said the ruling is the ‘wrong message’ to give to society.
“It makes us think that when these situations occur the best thing to do is look the other way and not complicate your life,” he said.
The young man has also been required to pay compensation costs of €180,000.
The young defendant maintained he only wanted to help the victim and recover what had been stolen from her.
He said he only defended himself when the victim assaulted him, because he had ‘panicked’ after seeing how the woman had been beaten.
