Tom Ewart Smith
A MAN has been sentenced to prison after a nightclub row in Marbella turned violent, leaving a security guard permanently disabled.
The shocking incident, which dates back more than a decade, saw the victim shot in the back outside the venue after refusing entry to a known troublemaker.
The late-night altercation took place in November 2012 outside a club in the Parra Villa Palomeras urbanisation, when three men arrived by car and attempted to enter.
One of the group – later identified as the main aggressor – was denied entry by bouncers, who recognised him from previous incidents and considered him aggressive and confrontational.
Enraged by the refusal, the man reportedly told the security staff, “I don’t respect you anymore,” before driving off with his two companions.
However, the group soon changed course en route to Fuengirola, stopping at two petrol stations in an apparent attempt to purchase items to disguise themselves.
According to court documents, the men returned to the club with the aim of ‘teaching the bouncers a lesson.’
The main suspect allegedly retrieved a semi-automatic pistol fitted with a silencer from the glove compartment of their car before stepping out and shouting at the security staff.
He then opened fire, discharging at least five rounds towards the entrance of the club.
One of the bullets struck a bouncer in the lower back as he tried to take cover behind a parked vehicle.
The injury caused catastrophic damage, including spinal trauma and ruptures to his kidney and spleen, leaving him wheelchair-bound and classified as severely disabled.
He spent 155 days in hospital and required nearly two years to recover from the injuries.
While the shooter fled on foot during a police pursuit, local officers initially intercepted and let him go, unaware of the incident that had just taken place. He remains at large.
The other two men were later arrested and stood trial at the Provincial Court in Malaga earlier this month, over a decade after the attack.
Both reached a plea deal with the prosecution, admitting their involvement.
One has been sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to pay €285,000 in compensation to the victim.
The second received an 18-month sentence, suspended on condition that he carries out community service and meets civil liability obligations.
The third suspect, believed to have fired the gun, is still wanted by authorities.
Prosecutors are seeking a nine-year sentence for attempted murder and an additional two years for unlawful possession of a prohibited weapon.
The weapon used in the attack was never found, but the silencer recovered from the car was presented as evidence.
Under Spanish law, such a device is considered a prohibited weapon.
The case has drawn attention to delays in the justice system, with sentencing taking more than 12 years after the incident.
The court acknowledged this in its ruling, granting both defendants reduced sentences due to what was described as an ‘undue delay’ in the legal proceedings.
