Prosecutor Seeks 6 Years for Cutting Worker's Rope

Prosecutor Seeks Six Years for Cutting Rope of Bricklayer Hanging Between 12th and 13th Floors

On January 20, 2021, a worker was suspended on the facade of a building in Benidorm, between the 12th and 13th floors, more than 40 meters above the ground. According to the Prosecutor's accusation, a neighbor allegedly went out onto her balcony with a sharp object and cut one of the ropes holding him in the air. The trial is scheduled for next Monday, September 28, at the Provincial Court of Alicante, according to the High Court of Justice of the Valencian Community, and the public ministry's request is for six years in prison for attempted homicide.

The Sequence: A Cut Rope and a Ledge as the Last Resort

The prosecution's account states that the woman managed to cut one of the two ropes. As she was about to cut the second, the shouts of colleagues of the worker—who were on the facade—made her stop. The victim had to hold onto a ledge to avoid a fall that, from that height, would have been fatal.

There are technical nuances regarding which rope was precisely affected. The one that was cut, according to one of the versions circulating among those involved in the debate, was the *lifeline* and not the one supporting the worker. According to the same version, the worker was able to stand on the ledge and began to cry for help; it was those cries and the presence of pedestrians in the street that revealed what was happening.

How Long Does It Take to Cut a Working Rope Under Tension?

Not long. A participant who claims to have owned a vertical works company summarizes it bluntly: "the rope he was suspended on (the working rope), being under tension, you can cut it with a knife in less than 10 seconds." He adds something that is often overlooked from the ground: on many walls, "you have no place to put your foot or get a minimal grip," and letting go of a rope at that height, he maintains, "almost certainly takes you down with it."

The Case and the Debate Over Judicial Response

This is where the matter ceases to be an incident and becomes a barometer. One current of opinion holds that the judgment would have been very different if the accused were a man and the victim a woman, and openly speaks of *feminist violence* to invert the terms of the usual narrative. Weighing against this is the argument that the case is judicialized and the motive has not been revealed: the Prosecutor's office accuses, it does not explain why.

There is a second complaint, perhaps more widespread: the delay. The events occurred in January 2021, and the trial is taking place years later. Added to this is the reproach that their name and image have not been publicized as occurs in other high-profile proceedings. The comparison with other recent high-impact cases is part of the discontent.

The Motive: From Special Assessment to Speculation

Regarding the reasons, there is no data. The hypothesis of a neighborhood conflict over the cost of facade renovation works—the dreaded *special assessment* (a levy for building repairs)—is circulating, but it is just that, a hypothesis without support in the indictment. Other versions, also unsupported, point to a specific disagreement with the worker. None are currently supported by documentation.

What remains firm is the accusation and the date. The rest—final penalty, mitigating factors, possible psychiatric defenses that some anticipate will be pleaded—is yet to be written. On Monday, September 28, in Alicante, it begins to be written.

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Note: All references to the facts are based on the indictment. There is no conviction, and the presumption of innocence applies.