Farruquito jailed for 3 years for fatal crash 05/09/2006 00:00

5 September 2006

SEVILLE — One of Spain's biggest flamenco stars was sentenced to three years in jail on Tuesday for killing a pedestrian in a hit-and-run accident.

Juan Manuel Fernández Montoya – better known by his stage name Farruquito – was condemned to prison for driving his BMW 80kmh in a 40kmh zone, skipping a red light and knocking over Benjamín Olalla on 30 September 2003.

He was convicted of failing to stop and get help for Olalla, who was taken to hospital but died hours later.

The provincial court of Seville jailed Farruquito for three years in connection with knocking down and killing Olalla.

Last year, a lower court in Seville sentenced Farruquito to two eight-month prison sentences for careless driving and failing to stop.

It was the minimum sentence the crimes carry and meant Farruquito did not have to serve any days in prison.

Farruquito was acquitted of attempting to blame his younger brother for the accident.

Four other defendants, including Farruquito's uncle, were also cleared of pretending the brother was driving.

Initially, Farruquito's brother was arrested for the accident. Farruquito admitted he was responsible when he was arrested six months later.

The judge said he had decided to award the dancer the lowest sentence since "we shouldn't forget that he stopped [after the accident] and saw that the victim wasn't alone but was being helped straight away and that one of the people helping was a doctor".

The singer 'El Canastero', who was also in the car, was cleared of failing to help the injured man because the judge deemed since he wasn't responsible for the accident, he didn't have "the personal, primary and principle responsibility" to get help to the victim.

Farruquito was ordered to pay compensation of EUR 102,483  to Olalla's widow María Ángeles Madero and pay his parents EUR 8,275 each.

The ruling last year was condemned by the safety group Stop Accidents. President Ana María Campo described it as "a joke and a tremendous injustice".

The prosecution and the safety group appealed against the sentence.

[Copyright EFE with Expatica]

Subject: Spanish news