Ten-year prison term sought for bottle attack that left victim blind in one eye

A man is set to stand trial next week in Lanzarote, accused of striking another person in the eye with a glass bottle at a shopping centre in Playa Blanca.

Prosecutors are seeking a ten-year prison sentence for the defendant, who already has a prior criminal record for theft. The attack took place in the early hours of 22 June 2024. According to the indictment, the defendant allegedly hit the victim twice with a glass bottle, inflicting multiple injuries to his right eye. The two individuals had not been involved in any prior argument.

The victim required urgent medical attention and underwent surgery to suture several wounds on his face, as well as a procedure under general anaesthesia to operate on the eye. As a result, he has lost vision in the affected eye, which has “irreversibly” impaired his sight.

The indictment adds that the victim experienced 126 days of moderate loss of quality of life. He also sustained cosmetic damage, including a two-centimetre scar, an adjacent 1.5-centimetre scar, and a third scar measuring 1.5 centimetres. In addition to these injuries, the victim has lost all vision in his right eye.

The defendant has been held in pre-trial detention since July 2024. The prosecution is asking the court to impose a ten-year prison sentence and the payment of court costs. If convicted, the defendant must also pay compensation to the victim: 8,095 euros for the time taken to recover from the injuries, and a further 56,046 euros for the permanent after-effects.