The increase in robberies in the municipality, which the defendants attributed to Roma families, led to serious attacks on homes and cars
Thirteen residents of Fortuna were sentenced yesterday to minimum prison sentences, between three and six months, for one of the largest citizen altercations that have occurred in the Region in recent decades. It took place on July 27, 2017, when hundreds of inhabitants of this town attacked with great violence the homes of a gypsy clan, whom they accused of being behind the increase in robberies and insecurity in the municipality.
The tension reached such an extreme that only the intervention of the Civil Guard prevented what could have resulted in a real lynching. In fact, as reported in the prosecutor’s indictment, which yesterday was fully assumed by the defendants, one of them, megaphone in hand, even addressed those gathered there shouting “there are only eight, let’s go first for them and then we went in and killed the others.’ It is about RLL, considered the great instigator of the protest –which had not been communicated to the Government Delegation– and of the disorders that occurred during its development.
The agents try to stop the neighbors, in July 2017. /
Finally, no personal injuries were reported, except for one minor injury, although the deployed agents were forced to request reinforcements after being overwhelmed by the protesters. In fact, there were several incidents that put the police device in check. In this way, some of the thirteen convicted persons threw stones at the houses and vans that were there, causing damage to two vehicles: one of them, worth 1,800 euros; in the other, still to be determined by experts. In addition, eight of the participants attacked JTM, causing injuries consisting of swollen eyes. For their part, the Civil Guard agents deployed there saw how JCH confronted them and, in addition, participated in the attack on MFF. However, there is no evidence that the latter suffered any injury for this reason.
For all these facts, the thirteen defendants are considered co-authors of a crime of public disorder; to eleven of them, of a continued crime of damages; to nine, of a minor crime of injuries, and to RLL and MML, of a crime of incitement to carry out public disorder.
They plead guilty
In the trial for these facts, held yesterday, the thirteen defendants assumed all of the imputed facts. This allowed them to reach an agreement with the Prosecutor’s Office, which initially requested four years in prison for RLL, three for MML and two for the rest of the participants.
Finally, the penalties, depending on the number of crimes committed, ranged between three and six months in prison. In this way, the convicts will avoid ending up behind bars, due to the absence of antecedents or the posteriority of the same with respect to the facts judged.
In addition, those who participated in the crime of damages were sentenced to pay a daily fee of two euros for three months, and a penalty of the same amount, but for a period of fifteen days, to those who incurred in the minor crime of injuries.
Finally, the eleven involved in the damage caused to the two vehicles will jointly and severally indemnify their legitimate owners.
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