Valencia gender-based violence: man breaks into ex-partner home and attempts to strangle her

Gender-based violence

The 36-year-old detainee has breached a restraining order on eight occasions so far this year

Ignacio Cabanes

An alleged abuser has violated a restraining order up to eight times, most recently in mid-June, when he attempted to strangle his ex-partner after threatening her with a knife during a break-in at her home in Torrent (Valencia).

The gender-based violence court has ordered his pretrial detention due to the repeated violations and the risk to the victim.

The National Police arrested the 36-year-old man after he threaten to kill his ex-partner with a knife. According to sources at the Valencia police headquarters, it had become a regular occurrence for the detainee to approach his ex-partner's home despite a restraining order in place.

The latest of these breaches occurred in the early hours of the morning in mid-June. A call from a neighbour alerted the authorities that a woman was calling for help from her flat.

Upon arrival, the police could hear screams coming from inside, prompting them to mobilise firefighters to gain access to the building due to the imminent risk to the victim's safety.

During the police operation, the assailant attempted to flee by jumping into an interior patio. The police, however, managed to arrest him there.

As a result of the fall during his escape, the detainee sustained several injuries and was subsequently taken to a hospital.

The police located the victim, who stated that she had had a heated argument with her ex-partner. According to her statement, the detainee grabbed her and threatened to kill her with a knife, punched her in the face and held her tightly by the neck.

She also explained that when she tried to call for help from the balcony, he forced her back inside the house, where he continued to threaten her with a knife.

The subsequent investigation confirmed eight breaches of judicial protection measures this year, demonstrating a persistent pattern of non-compliance by the detainee.

The competent court for gender-based violence cases ordered the detainee to be held in provisional detention, without the possibility of bail.

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