THREE teenagers have been sentenced for witness intimidation regarding one of Almeria’s worst ever arson attacks.
The juvenile court convicted the three of beating and threatening key witnesses to the La Molineta cave fire in which three youths were killed earlier this year.
Two girls, aged 12 and 15, and a 21-year-old man, burned to death when the cave, a popular hang-out spot, was blocked with a sofa. Earlier this month two other youths were convicted of manslaughter for setting the sofa ablaze and fleeing the scene.
The 17-year-old brother of the main culprit has now been sentenced to two years probation for assaulting a key witness to the attack. He threatened to do him further damage until he retracted his testimony, implicating the boy’s brother.
His two friends were also handed probation sentences. All three escaped serving time in a detention centre on the condition that they attend drug rehabilitation classes and stay at least 500 metres away from the witnesses.
The two convicted of setting the fire have been sentenced to eight and five years respectively, to be served in a juvenile facility until they are adults.
After setting the sofa on fire, reportedly over a debt owed by the 21-year-old victim, they even used tape to block the three from escaping the cave.
