Gang members who nearly amputated a young man's hand are on trial: they face 180 years in prison

Seven men are sitting in the dock of the Provincial Court of Madrid this Monday, February 24. All of them were arrested after a brutal attack in 2023 in which they stabbed and beat three young people in the Cuña Verde park located in the Arganzuela district, in Madrid. This is evident from the information published by El Español .

At around 10:50 p.m. on January 14, 2023, this group of seven young members of the Trinitarios 'choir' (as the gangs that share the criminal pie in the Spanish capital are known in police jargon) were heading with weapons to an area frequented by an enemy gang: the Domincan Don't Play (DDP).

Although the three young men attacked had no connection to these gangs, the seven attackers attacked them with stones and machetes “with the clear intention of ending their lives or at least accepting the high probability that this would happen,” according to the aforementioned media outlet. During the attack, they shouted about the “homeland”: the war cry of the Trinitarians before carrying out an attack like this.

On trial The seven attackers are accused of attempted murder.

According to the media, the victims tried to flee, but suffered serious injuries. One of them received two machete blows to the face, which left him with a 16-centimetre-long wound that left his face incompletely paralysed.

Another of them ended up with his hand almost amputated and with several cuts on his back. Seeing that a machete was going to hit his head, the victim raised his arm to protect himself and lost mobility in his fingers. The prosecution is asking for compensation of 23,000 euros for the young man who suffered facial paralysis and 7,000 euros for the young man who suffered damage to his hands and arms.

The ages of the attackers who are now facing trial for this attack ranged between 19 and 21 years at the time of the events. According to the statement from the Public Prosecutor's Office, which the aforementioned media outlet has had access to, the total sentence for all the defendants amounts to 178 years in prison for the crime of attempted murder. The sentences for each of the accused vary according to the degree of involvement in the attack.

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The document from the Public Prosecutor's Office states that "the violent youth gang Trinitarios has been considered a criminal organisation and its members have been convicted for their membership (either as leaders or as active members) for committing various serious crimes against life and physical integrity." But not only in Madrid, but also sentences from the Barcelona Court and the Supreme Court have been cited.

They all target the same crimes: criminal organization, illegal possession of weapons, riot, injuries and homicide, attempted murder and homicide. In addition, the elite police unit, which deals with crimes related to terrorism, sects or violence in sport, seized more than a hundred firearms and knives between August and October of last year alone.