Jailed for stabbing ex-girlfriend’s brother

A MAN, aged 23, has been sentenced to three years in prison, which can be substituted for the same period in a psychiatric institution, for almost fatally stabbing his exgirlfriend’s brother in the street in Novelda.

The provincial court judgment found him guilty of attempted homicide and said he was conscious of his actions, despite his medical diagnosis and having taken drugs, reported state news agency EFE last week.

The incident happened on January 3, 2022, six months after the accused and his partner, who have a child together, had split up.

According to the judgment, the accused went to meet the brother carrying a 20-centimetre knife hidden in his jacket and attacked him in the street while he was accompanied by other friends, stabbing him in the left of the chest ‘with the intention of ending his life’.

The victim was able to protect himself with his arm but still suffered a 12cm injury, then the attacker fled the scene. The accused admitted the attack at the start of the trial on January 19, and the three-year sentence took into consideration medical reports which established he ‘could have acted influenced by his impulsive way of dealing with situations and his problem with drug use’.

The fact he was off his medication was not considered enough reason to not be able to distinguish ‘good from bad’ as his ‘intellectual faculties were not fully affected’.

The sentence also prohibited him from approaching the victim for five years and ordered him to pay €9,500 in compensation for his injuries.

The sentence can be appealed to the Regional Supreme Court (TSJCV).