The Third Section of the Provincial Court of Almería has concluded a prolonged neighborhood dispute, upholding the conviction of a woman for a minor offense of damages. The accused had vandalized her neighbor's property with graffiti inside their patio, and her attempt to have the trial annulled has been dismissed.
The incidents leading to the complaint occurred between July 4 and 8, 2024, in a hamlet within one of the small towns of the Alpujarra almeriense. According to the established facts, the woman entered the victim's patio and created various graffiti.
The vandalistic paintings affected a party wall of the house, the terrace separation panels, and three planters. An expert report commissioned for the case later calculated the cost of cleaning and repairing all the damage at precisely 320.65 euros.
Following the oral hearing, which the defendant did not attend, the Court of First Instance and Instruction No. 2 of Berja sentenced her in October 2025 to pay a fine of 180 euros and to compensate her neighbor by fully covering the assessed damages.
The convicted woman, through her lawyer, decided to appeal to the Provincial Court with a single defensive strategy: she demanded the annulment of the sentence and the entire trial, arguing that she had never been informed of the date because she had not been 'duly cited'.
The Almerian magistrates, supported by the Prosecutor's Office, easily dismantled this version. The appeal ruling indicates that the court's file showed officials attempted to cite her at home unsuccessfully, leaving a notice in her mailbox. The crucial detail was that the defendant herself personally went to the Correos office and collected the official summons, thus being fully aware of the pending criminal proceedings. With the appeal dismissed, the judgment and costs are confirmed without the possibility of further appeal.
