Prosecutors seek jail for Spanish youths who crushed 79 piglets to death

Prosecutors are seeking prison terms for two Spanish youths who crushed 79 piglets to death in January and shared a video of it on social media.

The incident took place on January 7 on a pig farm in Huércal-Overa, in the Andalusian province of Almería. The suspects, who worked at the farm, had been tasked with transferring the seven-day-old animals to a different unit for weaning.

The suspects are also facing a request for €4,470 in damages to cover the losses incurred by the farm

Instead, D.A.A., 19, and M.R., 22, trapped the piglets inside the connecting passageway, closing off all escape routes. The younger man then began throwing himself on the animals, as though diving into a children’s ball pit, while the older one captured it on video with his cellphone.

A total of 79 piglets died as a result. The youths were arrested by the Civil Guard and charged with animal abuse after one of them shared the video on Whatsapp.

Prosecutors are seeking a one-year sentence for D.A.A. and 18 months for M.R, the news agency Europa Press reports. Under Spanish laws, however, defendants without a prior conviction who receive sentences of under two years are often exempt from going to prison on the judge’s decision.

The suspects are also facing a request for €4,470 in damages to cover the losses incurred by the farm, a further fine of €4,380 and a four-year ban on working with animals in any way.

English version by Susana Urra.