By Oisin Sweeney • Published: 19 Jan 2021 • 19:43
The alarming incident occurred in the Castilla y Leon capital of Valladolid, northwestern Spain - Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
A VALLADOLID man is on trial for firing a machine gun into the air on New Year’s Eve, 2018, in the northwestern Spanish city.
The defendant told the court that he had celebrated New Year’s Eve in 2018 with his six children and other family members at their home in Valladolid, the capital city of Castilla y Leon in northwestern Spain. A self-confessed alcoholic, he claims that he had consumed huge amounts of wine, beer, and whiskey in the lead up to the incident.
In his version of events, the accused rushed onto the street as midnight struck and was presented what he believed to be a blank gun by a stranger. It is traditional in some parts of Spain to fire gunshots to celebrate the New Year, though the practice is of course outlawed in urban areas.
He says he fired the semi-automatic submachine gun into the air, before immediately returning it to the stranger who he claims he has never seen before or since. The man is reportedly known to police for other crimes, including firearm possession, and if the court fails to believe his bizarre account of the incident he could spend up to a decade behind bars.
In his defence, the accused told the Judge: “Your honour, I was drunk that night and I thought it was a blank gun!”.
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Oisin is an Irish writer based in Seville, the sunny capital of Andalucia. After starting his working life as a bookseller, he moved into journalism and cut his teeth as a reporter at one of Ireland's biggest news websites. Since joining Euro Weekly News in November, he has enjoyed covering the latest stories from Seville, Spain and further afield - with special interests in crime, cybersecurity, and European politics. Anyone who can pronounce his name first try gets a free cerveza...
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