Voted Best
ISSUE NO. 1726
2 - 8 August 2018
Newspaper in Spain 2017 & 2018
COSTA DE ALMERÍA YOUR PAPER, YOUR VOICE, YOUR OPINION
WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM
Ruling outcry By Joe Gerrard AN Asperger ’s syndrome group has accused judges of “social ignorance” as they cut jail time for a man found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman with the condition. The Asperger ’s Almeria body said it was concerned and uneasy about the appeal ruling from Andalucia’s Superior Court of Justice. The court, sitting in Granada, found the defendant did not know of the 21-year-old’s condition. Judges overturned a previous ruling from Almeria’s Provincial Court which found the man took advantage of her mental state.
Amparo Garcia Escarabajal, the head of the group, said the judges should have taken into account the symptoms of Asperger’s. He also called for awareness training for justices. “People with Asperger’s do not perceive bad intentions and they struggle to intuit danger from others,” Escarabajal said. The group’s head said the body respected the court’s professionalism but added the ruling contributed to the stigma faced by those with Asperger’s. “Asperger people are seen as intellectually deficient and as having delays in thought or
RULING CLAIMS: The appeal was heard at Andalucia’s Superior Court of Justice. being sick people. “None of these concepts fit those used by doctors to classify people with the condition,” he said. The Almeria court heard the defendant met the woman in a Garrucha gym in 2016 when she was 21.
Five hurt
FIVE people including a 14-yearold were taken to hospital with injuries after two vehicles crashed into each other near El Ejido. The 112 Emergency Services line said they were altered to the accident shortly after it is believed to have taken place at around 1.20am on Monday. Several witnesses told them about the crash, personnel added.
The incidence took place at kilometre 407 of the A-7 motorway. The two vehicles were travelling in the direction of Almeria at the time. One woman aged 21 and two aged 30, as well as a 54-year-old man and the 14-
Prosecutors said they were alone in the spinning room when the man grabbed her and touched her buttocks and crotch before she told him to stop. The Andalucia court ruled it was impossible to determine if the man knew the woman
year-old, were taken to Poniente Hospital by paramedics after personnel arrived at the scene. Guardia Civil traffic officers and highway maintenance workers were also despatched, with the cause of the crash unknown. The severity of the five people’s injuries was not specified by emergency services.
was mentally disabled. Judges cut the defendant’s jail term to seven years but
upheld a €15,000 compensation payout and a restraining order.