MEMBERS of Barcelona’s Bon Pastor community have protested the arrest of Pepe, a 66-year old wheelchair user who stabbed a thief to death in a robbery gone wrong.
Pepe, a wheelchair-bound pensioner who relies on an oxygen tank, was enjoying the sun outside his apartment when an 18-year-old Algerian man attempted to snatch his gold chain.
The pensioner pulled out a knife and stabbed the would-be thief in the chest, killing him instantly.
He was arrested at the scene on April 5 and taken to the Vall d’Hebron Hospital by officers from Mossos d’Esquadra, Catalunya’s police force, due to his poor health.
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After receiving medical treatment, Pepe was transferred to Brians 1 prison on April 7, where a judge ordered him to remain in custody ahead of a trial and classified him as a flight risk.
Pepe’s family, who plan to appeal the decision, and 350 members of the community gathered in the Bon Pastor neighbourhood to protest the ruling.
His wife, Paqui, accompanied by the couple’s sons Javi and Ivan, said she witnessed the incident from their window and immediately called the police herself.
They urged authorities to let Pepe await trial from home due to his poor health.
Pepe’s children described the many health challenges he contends with including chronic lung disease, Chiari malformation (a brain condition which causes fainting fits) and liver disease.
Ivan explained that imprisonment would worsen his conditions: he requires a special medical bed as well as oxygen tanks while the dust in prison would aggravate his lung problems.
Over 300 members of the Bon Pastor community, where the family have lived for decades, came out in support of Pepe.
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Protestors chanted: ‘It’s not murder, it’s self defence!’, ‘Freedom for Pepe!’ and ‘We are all Pepe!’
The family said they ‘regret the tragic outcome’ but are ‘sure it was an accident’ explaining that Pepe had ‘never hurt anyone’.
Police say that the young Algerian man was unarmed and Pepe’s lawyers declined to explain why the pensioner was carrying a knife.
Pepe’s lawyers plan to submit all of his medical documents to the court after which a judge will determine whether to continue his imprisonment or change the decision at a hearing.
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