Violent gang on trial in Arrecife

Six men and a woman are currently on trial in an Arrecife court in one of Lanzarote’s rare homicide cases.

The seven accused, who live on Tenerife, are charged with violent robbery, homicide, and membership of a violent gang, after their arrest for involvement in the events of January 2016, when several men and a woman, some of whom were disguised as Guardia Civil officers, arrived at the home of José Antonio Perera in La Florida near San Bartolomé. Once inside, they tied up Perera and his wife and beat and tortured the carpenter in the belief that he had considerable amounts of cash hidden in a safe on the premises. Perera died in hospital two months later.

The accused arrived on Lanzarote on the car ferry from Tenerife and watched the house for days before the attack.

Two of accused are already serving sentences for the violent murder of Juan Carlos Tejera in Arrecife in 2015.

During the trial, five of the accused have changed their testimony to admit that they were at the scene of the crime. The defence lawyer of Angelo Delgado, who continues to deny all involvement despite being implicated by the other accused men, has withdrawn.