Tenerife Trio Jailed for Kidnap, Extortion, Assault

It started with what seemed like a harmless invitation. A man, using his friendship with another, offered to show him a property he claimed he wanted to sell. No one suspected this trip was actually a carefully planned act of violence involving two other people. This incident took place in Arona, Tenerife, in 2019. Now, six years later, three people have appeared in court in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, facing charges of extortion, kidnapping, and assault.

The real destination wasn't a house, but an underground garage. It was chosen because it was isolated and dark, making it hard to see what was happening. After picking up the victim at his home, the man drove to this garage and parked in a dark, unauthorized spot to avoid being seen. The other two defendants were already waiting there, hidden, just as they had planned.

As soon as the victim got out of the car, the ambush began. The two hidden men suddenly appeared and started beating the victim violently, hitting her repeatedly in the face, head, and body. Moments later, the driver also joined the attack.

To stop the victim from calling for help, the attackers taped the victim's mouth shut while continuing the beating. During the assault, one of them used a taser gun, shocking the victim multiple times, leaving her stunned and unable to fight back.

The violence wasn't just to scare the victim. As they beat the victim, the three attackers demanded she transfer money from her bank account to accounts controlled by one of them. Their goal was clear: to get money by terrifying the victim, who was completely helpless. However, the money transfers never happened.

The noise the attackers were making started to worry them. Fearing they would be discovered, they decided to move the victim to another location, away from anyone who might see or hear them. They put the victim, still gagged, into the car's trunk and tried to leave the garage. However, their plan was suddenly stopped when another car blocked the exit.

This allowed the police to intercept one of the attackers, with the victim still trapped in the trunk. The other two managed to escape.

The victim suffered significant physical and psychological harm from the assault. She had broken bones and many bruises, needing medical help and ongoing treatment, including rest and limitations on her movement. The attack left lasting effects, such as visible scars and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Before the court hearing, one of the defendants paid the victim an undisclosed amount for the harm she suffered. Because of this, she dropped her civil lawsuit.

Despite this, the case went to the Provincial Court. The prosecution initially asked for sentences of 12 and a half years for two defendants and 11 and a half years for the third. However, the defense and the prosecution later reached an agreement. After admitting their guilt, the defendants were sentenced to five and a half years in prison. The prosecutor agreed to a reduced sentence due to delays in the legal process and did not object to suspending the sentence for one defendant who had no prior criminal record. Another defendant is currently in prison, and the third will be informed of the order to begin their sentence.