THREE Malaga cops have landed their force with a €16,000 bill after secretly filming a man taking a roadside poo – and sharing the video on WhatsApp.
The man had been pulled over around 4.45am in the La Rosaleda area back in December 2022 for jumping a red light. He told the Policia Local officers he was feeling ill and asked to nip behind a bush for an emergency toilet stop.
What he didn’t know was that the officers were recording the whole thing – and that the clip would later do the rounds on social media and land right in the laps of his co-workers, who reportedly mocked and laughed at him.
Now, after nearly three years and a full investigation, the Andalucian regional authorities have ruled the officers caused the man ‘psychological and moral damage’ by filming him without consent and humiliating him in public.
Malaga City Council has been ordered to cough up €16,338 in damages.
The incident left the man so traumatised that he was referred to mental health services, diagnosed with severe anxiety, and signed off work for six months. Doctors confirmed the video was a direct trigger for his breakdown, which saw him suffering from rage, embarrassment and panic attacks.
The footage, taken by one of the officers and passed around like a joke, sparked a disciplinary hearing at the time. All three officers were slapped with a 15-day suspension – but that was just the start.
Now, the final ruling has slammed their behaviour as ‘deliberate, mocking and totally unjustified’. The Council said the officers abused their positions as public servants, breaking the law and betraying public trust.
“These weren’t just rogue officers having a laugh – they humiliated a citizen during a vulnerable moment and turned it into viral content,” the ruling said.
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