A court in Catalonia, Spain, has sentenced a Moroccan man to twelve years in prison for assaulting a young homosexual in Sitges, a coastal town in Spain's Catalonia region, southwest of Barcelona, Spanish news agencies said. The homophobic attack took place on October 2, 2016, when the Moroccan, who was accompanied by a minor, threw a rock on a man who was kissing another man in a gay bar. The Moroccan man grabbed a large stone and struck the victim on the head. He fell to the ground and continued to be struck by other stones picked up from the railroad tracks. The man also kicked him several times on the head, threatening to kill him with stones. The attackers also took the opportunity to steal his cell phone, charger, various documents and 60 euros. The young man and the minor had then left laughing, while the victim had accidentally rushed towards the rails before being rescued by two people. The victim notably had a intracranial hemorrhage and several bruises. The Catalonia Appeal court dismissed the defense's appeal and maintained the conviction for attempted homophobic murder and violent theft with abuse of power. The first sentence was pronounced by the Barcelona court in March 2018.
