A male British tourist has been sentenced to four years and four months in prison for the brutal assault of a female English tourist at a hotel in the south of Tenerife. In addition to the prison term, the court has ordered him to pay nearly 38,000 euros in compensation, with the possibility of further medical expenses being added as determined during the execution of the sentence.
The prosecution initially sought a six-year prison term and almost 112,000 euros in damages, while the Public Prosecutor's Office requested the same prison duration but only 5,000 euros in compensation.
The violent incident took place on the night of November 20th, 2022. The victim met the assailant's girlfriend during a karaoke night at the hotel they were all staying at, where they struck up a friendship. The two women went to the girlfriend's room after she had consumed a significant amount of alcohol and was feeling unwell, when, shortly after, the boyfriend arrived to find his girlfriend in the bathroom and the victim on the bed, which led to the brutal attack.
According to the court report, the man attempted to throw the female victim off the balcony and hit her several times in the face, resulting in the need for several titanium plates to be implanted during reconstructive surgery because the force of the blows shattered some of her bones into small fragments. The victim was found "completely dazed" by a hotel security guard near the hotel pool and was subsequently taken to hospital.
The victim has demanded compensation for multiple surgeries, facial deformities, respiratory issues, partial facial paralysis, and ongoing psychological treatment. Her mother testified via video link that her daughter called for help on her mobile phone while she heard screams and blows in the background.
A Guardia Civil officer testified that the victim panicked when she identified her attacker from a photograph. Hotel staff did not notice any injuries on the man's hands, although his girlfriend claimed he had hurt himself on the beach.
The convicted holidaymaker denied the assault, claiming that the victim was the aggressor and that the confrontation occurred because she tried to steal his girlfriend's shoes. However, after rigorous investigation and the court hearing, he now faces time in a Tenerife jail.
