Daniel Sancho, awaiting sentencing in Thailand after being tried for the death and dismemberment of Colombian surgeon Edwin Arrieta, has accepted a fine of 450 euros on Wednesday for another case: the one opened against him in Spain for punching a man in the head while they were both waiting for a taxi in Madrid in late 2019. The Prosecutor’s Office had requested a one-year prison sentence, compensation of 2,100 euros to the victim, and for Sancho to cover the cost of repairing the victim’s broken tooth. The agreement was reached considering that the case had been almost paralyzed for a year and that the accused had paid the 2,100 euros for civil liability. The trial did not take place in the Madrid criminal court number 16 because the parties reached an agreement.
Sancho, 29, participated via video conference from Samui prison in Thailand. With short hair and wearing a beige blouse typical of inmates in preventive detention, he agreed with the prosecutor’s account of the events and accepted the agreed-upon sentence. He was accompanied by a Thai police officer wearing a mask. In the room, there was also a flag of the Thai prison system. The accused, who was not handcuffed, showed that he was wearing dark shorts and was barefoot when the session, which lasted a few minutes, ended. Only the parties involved in the procedure and about fifteen journalists who watched from a nearby building were able to see Sancho on screen.
Taking pictures was not allowed because the Thai authorities did not authorize it. The judge issued an official order to prevent any unauthorized images or recordings that could cause an international problem. Since his arrest in Thailand last August for the death of Arrieta, Sancho has been imprisoned. In Thailand, Sancho faces charges of premeditated murder, which carries a maximum penalty of death. He is also accused of dismemberment and hiding the body, as well as destroying the deceased Edwin Arrieta’s passport. The trial took place between April and May, with Sancho admitting to dismemberment but not to the murder, claiming it was an accident during an argument with the victim.
The prosecution acknowledged the difficulty of proving that Arrieta’s death was planned, suggesting that the potential sentence might not be death. The judge scheduled the full sentencing for August 29. The assault that was settled with a judicial agreement on Wednesday took place at four in the morning on November 9, 2019, near the Madrid street of José Abascal. According to the prosecutor, Sancho tried to cut in line for a taxi, and a man, identified as J.C., called him out on it. Sancho then punched him in the head, causing injuries that took 12 days to heal. The victim received five stitches and lost a tooth.
Sancho’s defense had requested his extradition to Spain to be tried for this case, but the Prosecutor’s Office opposed it, considering that there were alternative measures to allow for the trial to proceed without extradition.
