Judge dismisses case against Las Lagunas petrol protestor

AFTER going down in local history, a man who threatened to set fire to himself in Las Lagunas to prevent roadworks starting has been let off by a judge.
Lazaro Gutierrez, an ONCE lottery ticket seller and father of three, spilled petrol on the pavement then locked himself inside his car with a can of petrol and a lighter in protest against works due to start on the Las Lagunas street where he lived.
Local residents had been kicking up a fuss for some time over the planned works, which they thought would mean parking spaces in the busy area would be lost, and eventually the Mijas mayor had to give them a written promise that would not be the case.
Yet the residents were not persuaded by the promise, and when machines and workers turned up on February 15 they found the street filled with parked cars and Gutierrez with his can of petrol.
Although the Local Police force placed charges against the man for disobeying authority, a Fuengirola judge has now found him innocent arguing that the officer pressing charges was not even near him and the one who had given an order had reported no resistance at all from Gutierrez, who was arrested on the day by the Guardia Civil but later sent home.
In the end the work was carried out, and a solution found to keep the parking spaces as promised by the council.