Crime

Trial begins of man who set his partner alight

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPalma12/11/2018 14:38

On 29 June 2016, Xue Sandra Saura, 32, was set alight by her partner Carlos Peña Flores. The incident occurred at their home on the Cami de s'Hort del Moro in Alcudia. Some weeks later, on 8 August, she died as the result of complications caused by her injuries.

She had been doused in petrol by her 37-year-old partner, who had returned in the morning from a night out drinking and taking drugs. The day before she had told him that she wanted to bring an end to their relationship, apparently because she had met another person.

When the incident occurred, she was able to escape with the couple's 22-month-old son, who suffered minor burns, and drive to her father's home nearby despite the excruciating pain. She was taken by air ambulance to the specialist burns unit at the Vall d’Hebron Hospital in Barcelona, suffering from burns to 80 per cent of her body.

The trial of Carlos Peña starts at the Provincial Court in Palma today. The prosecution service is calling for a sentence of 39 years and a compensation payment of almost one million euros for the child.

* Update - The trial will be delayed. The prosecution service asked for the trial to be by jury. The court agreed to this despite the opposition of the defence lawyer.