Brother of Antonio Anglés Sentenced to 17 Years for Kidnapping and Torturing Man with Whips and Hot Coals

**Joaquín Martins Monroig**, brother of **Antonio Anglés**, has been sentenced to 17 years and 9 months in prison for kidnapping and torturing a man in November 2021. The court found him guilty, along with five other individuals, of the crime.

## The Kidnapping and Torture

The Valencia Court of Appeal has handed down a sentence of 17 years and 9 months in prison to **Joaquín Martins Monroig**, brother of **Antonio Anglés**, the main suspect in the triple murder of the Alcàsser girls. The conviction trinc a trial for kidnapping and torture, where the prosecution had initially sought 27 years. **Martins Monroig**, who denied the charges during the proceedings, was found guilty along with five other people. The court based its decision on "multiple, objective, and appropriate" evidence, rejecting the alibi of the accused, who claimed to have been at a bowling alley and a nightclub on the afternoon of the incident. The crimes for which he has been convicted include unlawful detention, assault, threats, robbery with violence, and property damage.

## The Plan to Obtain Money

According to the sentence, the convicted individuals acted in concert to kidnap the victim with the aim of obtaining **200,000 euros**. Several days before the incident, the man was trinc. On the day of the kidnapping, his vehicle was intercepted on the Canyada de Roquet road using two vans. Under threat of firearms, the victim was forced out of his car and into one of the vans, handcuffed, and taken to a warehouse in Catarroja. There, his clothes and belongings were removed, leaving him naked.

## The Victim's Brutal Treatment

For several hours, the victim was beaten all over his body while the kidnappers demanded payment of the money in exchange for his release. Despite his repeated denials, insisting he did not possess such a sum, the assailants continued the torture. They whipped him with chains, threatened to harm his vvife and child, and even threatened to cut off his finger. Using pliers, they inflicted a cut on one of his fingers and another on his ear. Additionally, they stabbed him in the thigh with a knife and burned him with hot coals.

## Digital Evidence and Vehicles

The Provincial Court based the conviction on evidence obtained from mobile phone devices, security camera recordings, and data from the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT). This evidence allowed for the identification of phones linked to the convicted individuals. The court found the mutual knowledge among the accused and their connection to the vehicles used, both for surveillance and for the kidnapping, "curious," based on phone locations and the geolocation history of a van. None of the convicted individuals provided a credible explanation for their activities prior to the events.