Police jailed for torturing British tourists

FOUR Guardia Civil officers have been jailed for torturing two British tourists in Palma. The officers, who were found guilty by a Palma court, have been sentenced to terms of between two and four years imprisonment. The events took place in 2009, in Santa Ponca, when two British men were having a fight and one of them hit a Guardia Civil sergeant. Both men were detained and taken to the police station where they were beaten by the accused all night and most of the next day. The Guardia Civil even used objects like truncheons to beat them. Neither of the victims appeared in the court to take part in the prosecution and, as such, the exact circumstances of the beatings are unknown. The prosecution considered that the medical reports on the victims were enough to prove the case. The sergeant has been sentenced to four years in prison and a life-long ban from public service employment. He will also have to pay a fine of €2,455. The other three officers were given two years in prison each and banned from public service employment for eight years.