Santiago del Valle declares he is innocent

10:38 El NACHO 0 Comments

Santiago del Valle declares he is innocent: "Santiago del Valle, the man accused of the murder of the Huelva five year old, Mari Luz Cortés, has declared himself to be innocent at the preliminary hearing to the case in Instruction Court 1 in Huelva on Monday.

His lawyer, Juan López Rueda, told the press that his client had asked to speak although the law does not generally allow it at this stage, but the judge let him go ahead, and he told the chamber that he was innocent and felt defenceless in the face of ‘the declarations of the media and public opinion’, and that although the case had not been held he had already been condemned.

The prosecutor requested that the case be heard by jury, while the defence would prefer to see it heard by judges and also asked for bail.

The prosecutor is calling for a 23 year prison sentence for del Valle, and 17 years for his sister, who is also thought to have taken part in the crime. The instruction judge now has three days to decide how the case will proceed."