THE trial of 15 Spaniards alleged to have pushed a Scots father to his death has begun after a five-year wait.
Father-of-three Stephen Mallon, originally from Rutherglen, Glasgow, was allegedly kicked and punched and had a bottle smashed over his head before being pushed from a ledge as he tried to escape from the gang in the village of Competa near Malaga. He died on June 17, 2009, 11 days after the incident.
Mr Mallon, a roofer, had been celebrating with his twin sons Carl and Peter ahead of their 17th birthday when an argument broke out in La Estrella pub, Competa, where the family had a villa.
Widow Teresa and daughter Jenny Mallon attended the court hearing where ten of the 15 defendants testified yesterday and claimed they were defending themselves.
Prosecutors say the 15 accused, aged 18 to 25 at the time, part of a larger group, attacked the Mallons and three friends with bottles, plant pots, belts and sticks outside the pub leaving Carl with his hand broken by a metal bar and his brother with a broken nose.
The trial at Malaga Provincial Court is due to end on May 27.
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