A Palma judge has issued a restraining order against a woman whose harassment of a bar owner in Arenal (Llucmajor) has been ongoing for months.
The woman lives in the same building as the bar. She is on the second floor. The bar is on the ground floor. The restraining order bans her from going within 50 metres of the bar and so therefore bans her from her own home. Evidence presented to the judge led her to the conclusion that there was a risk to life.
The harassment has included calling Llucmajor Police on an almost daily basis to report noise and vibrations coming from the bar. Officers have repeatedly failed to find any justification for these complaints. The police have even been called when the bar has been closed. No other residents have made complaints. The police are of the view that the woman has a personal problem with the bar and has been using them as a means of pressure.
There have been examples of damage. On more than one occasion the bar's electrical panel was damaged and cables cut, forcing the bar to close. A padlock was placed on a replacement panel. This was removed and the entire unit was stolen.
On May 11, the owner discovered a hose that had been inserted through a rear window. The water had been running for some time, damaging a freezer, refrigerators, the hard drive of the surveillance cameras, a computer, a printer, and bar supplies. The police were called. Officers pulled the hose and the neighbour was found to be holding it. This incident was recorded on video and reported to the Guardia Civil.
Around the same time, and at 1am, a loud noise was heard and a glass jar with a burning cloth was found - a form of Molotov cocktail. The police removed it. The day before this, a scouring pad which had been set alight damaged a pipe and the roof of an interior patio. On another occasion, a beam was thrown that broke the roof.
The bar owner says the woman has threatened her and has stated that she will get the bar closed. "I'm Spanish, you're Colombian," she is reported as having said. The owner has had to undergo psychological treatment and has needed to install security cameras. The judge took a statement from the woman and believed there was sufficient evidence to charge her with the use of violence and with causing damage.
The restraining order came into effect on Monday. The woman says she has no intention of complying with it. "I'm not going to live on the streets." Her version of events paints a different picture, saying that since last December she has tried to stop the bar from making noise at night with machinery. "We think it's a septic tank. There are other neighbours who have also complained, but they fear reprisals. I had no choice but to report this."
She adds that she has been threatened and maintains that accusations, such as the Molotov cocktail, are false. "I know they're going to arrest me. When they do, they'll take me before a court, and the judge will decide when I'm released." She is contemplating suicide and says she has already tried to take her own life. "My lawyer can't believe this is happening, without a hearing or a trial."