Spanish Court Denies Extradition of Convicted Murderer to Morocco

The Court considers that the extradition of Mohamed A., known as Tony, requested by his counsel, cannot be accepted, as it is not possible to revise the judgment or review the sentence, according to judicial sources at El Faro de Ceuta. According to the judges, extradition is only allowed in the case of third-degree murder or parole. In the case of Mohamed A., convicted of murder and sexual assault, the court considers that he must serve his entire sentence, in order not to discredit justice in society, especially taking into account the simple fact that he is a foreigner.

The facts. Laura Gutiérrez, a nursing student from La Línea, was to reside for a few days in an apartment, while taking her exams to obtain her diploma. Mohamed A. and other people were also living in this apartment. In the early morning of December 6, 2011, she was killed by the latter who, after committing the murder, went to the police station to surrender.

The death of the young woman aroused anger and indignation in the city. A minute of silence was observed in her memory on the occasion of the nursing graduation ceremony. For her family, it was a hard blow. She had demanded justice at the time and is now opposed to the extradition of Mohamed A.

During his appearance last April, the Moroccan had acknowledged the facts, indicated that he regretted his act and asked for forgiveness. He also stated that he arrived in Spain in 1999, obtained his residence permit in 2000, which expired while he was already in prison. Mohamed A. had been sentenced to 13 years and 9 months in prison for aggravated homicide and an additional 4 years and 6 months for serious sexual assault. In November 2014, the Supreme Court reduced this overall sentence to 14 and a half years.