Six Madrid police officers to testify for breaking into an alleged illegal party

Six Madrid police officers to testify in court for possible trespassing after breaking into alleged illegal party 

Judge Jaime Serret, presiding in Madrid’s Court of Instruction No28, on September 19, issued an order in which he claimed six police officers had possibly broken the law by breaking in the door of an apartment in the city.

This incident had occurred on March 21, 2020, at the height of the pandemic. The officers had responded to a call informing them of an illegal party taking place in a building on Calle Lagasca. When the occupants of apartment No19 refused the officers entry, they proceeded to break the door in with a battering ram.

The occupants of the apartment testified before the court in September, and in his ruling, the judge maintained that there were “solid” indications of a crime of trespassing on behalf of the policemen. He ordered the six officers to appear before a jury in court, and the hearing is today, Friday, October 8.

A video of the whole event – which went viral on social networks – was shown in court, with the complaining tenant, and a witness also testifying before the court.

On behalf of the police, two of the officers claimed that the apartment had not been a dwelling, that it had been rented simply to hold an illegal party. Furthermore, they stated, the lease provided in the case by the plaintiff is not signed by the parties, and the payment of monthly payments or bond has not been credited.

Defended by the State lawyer, the other four officers also claimed that those gathered in the apartment were not residents of that house, but were celebrating a party in a tourist apartment. It was also suggested that the alleged complainant tenant does not have signatures, “and could be a document created for its contribution to the complaint”.

“In the opinion of this defence, the magistrate states in the appealed order premature legal appraisals and assessments, since the indications cannot be considered very solid with the diligences carried out”, added the State lawyer, asking for further investigations to be carried out, as reported by 20minutos.es.

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