14/07/2026 a las 15:51h.

The provincial court of La Rioja has sentenced a man to four years in prison for attempting to kill a coworker with an axe.

The defendant, who remains in pretrial detention, admitted to the crime and accepted the sentence, which is less than the nine years the prosecution had initially requested for attempted murder.

The incident occurred on 20 September 2024, when several employees were finishing their workday and preparing to return home in the same vehicle.

During the journey, the defendant made derogatory comments about people of Andalusian origin, stating that "all Andalusians and people from Malaga are bad people".

After one of his colleagues, a native of Andalucía, responded that not all people were the same, the two began arguing.

During the confrontation, the defendant went to a shed on the premises, picked up an axe and approached his colleague, who had already gotten out of the vehicle.

After threatening to kill him, he struck him on the head, the blow hitting the lateral occipital region. Afterwards, they both returned to the vehicle and drove to Calahorra hospital.

The sentence also imposes a restraining order banning the defendant from approaching the victim within 150 metres and from communicating with him by any means for six years. He must also reimburse the Rioja health service for the cost of the victim's medical care.

The victim, who appeared at the trial, expressly waived the compensation of 10,975 euros that the prosecution had requested for the injuries and the emotional damages.

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