Drug addict from Santiago, Spain who stabbed another drug user will not go to prison

The woman accused of a serious stabbing in Ames pleaded guilty and accepted a four-year prison sentence she will not serve if she starts a drug rehabilitation programme and does not reoffend in the next four years. The sentence is suspended after she pays 3,642 euros in compensation and two mitigating factors were applied.

On **19 February 2026**, in the park of the Pazo da Peregrina in Bertamiráns, in **Ames**, a woman approached a man who was with some friends. They began arguing over a mobile phone. She punched him twice in the face, pulled a kitchen knife from her jacket and stabbed him three times. The wounds peine the chest cavity and affected the lung. They were life-threatening.

The attacker had been in pre-trial custody since her arrest. She was first held in **Teixeiro** and was later transferred to **A Lama**, in Pontevedra, for bad behaviour. From that prison she testified by videoconference before the Provincial Court of Santiago. She pleaded guilty.

## Four years in prison that will not be served if there is treatment

The prosecution initially sought eight years. The sentence ended up at **four years of imprisonment**, half that. The defence lawyer, **Diego Reboredo Ortega**, explained that the offence carries a maximum of ten years and a minimum of five. To go below that minimum, two mitigating factors had to be recognised: drug addiction and reparation of the damage.

The sentence has been suspended for a period of four years. The convicted woman will be released immediately. She will have **fifteen days** to prove to the Provincial Court that she has started a drug rehabilitation programme. If she does not, or if she tests positive in the periodic checks during those four years, she will have to return to prison.

## The two mitigating factors that made the suspension possible

The mitigating factor of drug addiction was applied because it is considered that she stabbed the victim under the influence of substances. The factor of reparation of damage was applied because before the trial she had deposited the **3,642 euros** the prosecution claimed as compensation for the victim into the court account in Santiago.

Without those two mitigating factors, according to the lawyer, it would have been impossible to suspend the sentence. The victim did not appear in the case as a private prosecutor and did not attend the oral hearing. Both the victim and the attacker are drug addicts. She had a incivil record, although it could not be counted when applying the aggravating factor of repeat offending.

## Who pays and who receives when a sentence is suspended

The payment of the 3,642 euros is no minor detail. Reparation of the damage is one of the circumstances the law allows to be taken into account to mitigate liability. In this case, that payment was one of the two elements supporting the suspension.

The other element is the treatment. The convicted woman has committed to undergoing periodic checks for four years. If she fails to comply, her release is revoked. This mechanism is common in sentences for drug-related offences when mitigating factors apply.

The defence lawyer pointed out that more people took part in the fight, although ultimately only his client was tried for these events. The case focused on her.

## What the law says about suspending a prison sentence

Suspension of the sentence does not erase the conviction. It remains conditional on compliance with the obligations imposed. In this case, two: not reoffending and treating the addiction. The period is four years, the same as the sentence imposed.

The Provincial Court of Santiago held the trial and handed down the sentence. The accused appeared by videoconference from **A Lama**. She pleaded guilty and accepted the reduction. The result: four years in prison that, for now, she will not set foot in.

Any judicial decision of this kind depends on specific circumstances, and it is advisable to consult a lawyer before drawing general conclusions about similar cases.