Tenerife court sentences man to prison for assault over drug debt

The Provincial Court of Santa Cruz de Tenerife has sentenced a man to two and a half years in prison for causing injuries to another individual during a dispute over a drug debt in the Los Gladiolos neighborhood.

The incident occurred on July 28, 2023, when the defendant approached the victim, who was on an electric bicycle, demanding money and the bike. Following a refusal, the defendant punched the victim in the face and neck, eventually kicking the victim and the bicycle. The assault resulted in the victim suffering lip lacerations and the loss of four teeth.

The court considered the defendant's prior payment of 7,000 euros as a mitigating factor for damage reparation. While acquitted of robbery with violence, the defendant is prohibited from communicating with or approaching the victim within a 500-meter radius for four years following his release from prison.