Two and a half years in prison for a drunk driver who ran over and killed a 41-year-old woman in El Campello

An Alicante court suspends enforcement of the prison sentence provided that he does not reoffend and pays nearly €33,000 over three years.

Gathering at the place where Jessica was run over and killed by the driver who has now been convicted. / INFORMACIÓN

Cerrada | Alicante 23 AUG 2026 6:00  |  Updated 23 AUG 2026 11:29

The drunk driver who ran over and killed a 41-year-old woman in 2023 while she was working for El Campello’s public cleaning service will not go to prison to serve the sentence, at least for the time being. The defendant, represented by lawyers Iván Rodríguez Lorente and Francisco Miguel Galiana Botella, was recently sentenced to two years and six months in prison. However, the ruling issued by the judge of Criminal Court No. 7 of the Alicante Court of First Instance states that enforcement of the prison sentence has been suspended.

Nevertheless, suspension of the sentence is conditional on him committing no offences for three years, not abandoning a detoxification programme before it is completed, and paying €32,793 in 36 monthly instalments. Of that amount, €22,793 is compensation for one of Jessica’s sisters, while the remaining €10,000 is for the private prosecution’s legal costs, which were set at €13,000, of which he has already paid €3,000.

The convicted man, now aged 28, initially faced a request for a three-year prison sentence. His defence lawyers reached a plea agreement that reduced the sentence to two years and six months for grossly negligent homicide in conjunction with driving under the influence of alcohol. In addition to the prison sentence, the ruling bans him from driving for three years and six months and revokes his driving licence.

According to the facts established in the judgment, the defendant recorded 0.66 milligrams of alcohol per litre of breath when the accident occurred. The fatal collision took place at around 7:16 a.m. on 30 September 2023. Under the influence of alcohol, the defendant was driving a Honda along Avenida San Ramón in El Campello, the former N-332 through-road, at 55 kilometres per hour—five above the speed limit.

Impaired faculties

The ruling states that alcohol impaired his psychophysical faculties required to drive the car properly, causing him to lose control of the vehicle. The driver made a sudden manoeuvre and entered a roundabout without slowing down, crossing it in a straight line before continuing along Avenida San Ramón. He then partially entered the oncoming lane and immediately moved to the right, onto the hard shoulder, without applying the brakes.

At that point he struck the public cleaning service worker, who was pushing her cleaning cart along the hard shoulder. Jessica was walking in accordance with the rules, facing oncoming traffic, when she was hit head-on and killed.

The woman who died was 41 years old and had three children aged 8, 10 and 15. The defendant’s car insurer deposited the proposed compensation for the three minors into the court account after it was approved by the Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Alcohol level of 0.66

The driver recorded 0.66 in both breathalyser tests carried out by the El Campello Local Police after the collision—more than twice the permitted level. He also showed outward signs including slurred speech, tiredness and exhaustion, dull eyes, slightly dilated pupils and behavioural changes, shifting from a normal, calm state to a threatening and arrogant one.

Jessica’s death caused great shock in El Campello, where residents and colleagues held gatherings at the scene to remember the victim and demand justice.

The defendant was initially remanded in custody, but spent less than a month in prison before the court released him on €3,000 bail at the defence’s request. His release was not well received by the victim’s family, and Jessica’s relatives organised a gathering outside El Campello Town Hall to demand justice.

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