NINE members of the motorcycle gang known as the Hell's Angels have been sentenced to a total of 67 years in jail for aggravated robbery, possession of arms and the murder of a notary in Torrevieja (Alicante province).
The judge at the regional high court of justice in Valencia found that the nine bikers were not working as part of an organised criminal gang, even though they all belonged to the Hell's Angels and were part of the 'Prospects' and 'Sergeant of Arms' ranks within the global motorcyclist group.
One of the accused parties, a man based in Ibiza, admitted to firing the fatal shot between September and October 2009 which killed a 54-year-old notary in the southern Costa Blanca resort town, and also to shooting and injuring a pub-owner in San Pedro del Pinatar (Murcia) and committing a violent burglary on a home in Pedralba (Valencia).
The others were jailed for between six months and 13 years, and included six-month sentences for two women – the girlfriends of two of the accused parties.
These women were not allowed into the closed circle of the Hell's Angels, and their role was merely that of aiding and abetting.
The court heard that two of the Hell's Angels burst into a notary's office in Torrevieja and demanded money from the woman on reception who, in turn, alerted the notary himself.
He came out of his office to the woman's aid and was shot in the stomach during a scuffle with the thieves, who later fled the scene, and died almost instantly from his injuries.
Just days before, two others had barged into a pub in San Pedro del Pinatar, shot the owner and made off with 900 euros – but on this occasion, the victim survived.
At around the same time, a number of the Hell's Angels broke into the home of the parents of two other accused parties, who were leaders of the organisation.
The couple only survived the shoot-out because of a technical hitch with the gun involved, but the house was burgled.
Investigations led to the arrest of a 33-year-old man in Almazora (Castellón) in April 2010, who was found to have been the one who fired the shot which killed the notary.
Another man aged 21 was arrested in Torrent (Valencia) for his involvement with all three of the violent crimes.
Police seized various Hell's Angels T-shirts, a taser, a baseball bat, various knives and a screwdriver in a sock designed to be used as a weapon.
A MAN declared dead at his home in the province of Tarragona was on his way to the funeral parlour when he turned out to be alive, according to police sources.
A NEW child protection law named after a British musician living in Spain has been approved in Congress and is set to be signed off by the Council of Ministers on Tuesday, June 8.
