Andorran man on trial for 2019 nightclub assault, no proof of weapon use

A 23-year-old Andorran man of Filipino origin stood trial at the Tribunal de Corts on Thursday for serious assault and intentional injuries from a 2019 nightclub brawl, though no proof emerged of him using a glass or sharp weapon. Prosecutors sought a 12-month suspended sentence with educational intent, given his minor status at the time, plus €186.13 for medical expenses.

The clash occurred in the early hours of 1 November 2019 at a busy discoteca in Andorra la Vella. Both the defendant—who attended with his father—and the 26-year-old victim agreed on an initial dance-floor dispute, where the victim pushed through the crowd, sparking a verbal exchange and shoves that did not escalate further.

Accounts diverged on the terrace confrontation. The defendant said he approached to question the earlier shove, at which point the victim challenged him to fight, pushed first, and threw punches. He admitted striking back in self-defense, with both falling amid broken glasses on the ground, but denied using any object. Security later separated them.

The victim described the defendant approaching aggressively, delivering multiple face punches, the last knocking him unconscious with a deep head wound requiring eight stitches. He speculated a glass might have caused it due to its severity but could not confirm. A friend and witness supported this, calling the terrace attack sudden and the defendant aggressive from the start, though seeing no object in his hands.

Additional witnesses portrayed a more chaotic scene, with multiple people involved in a group brawl. The victim recalled being surrounded and falling, unable to pinpoint who inflicted the head cut, though he identified the defendant as involved. Police responded to reports of a fight possibly with a glass but found the crowd gone; the victim had the laceration and no memory of details.

The forensic expert said the injury matched an assault but ruled out a bare fist alone. It could result from a punch aided by a ring, a sharp object, or a fall onto ground glass.

Prosecutors argued the defendant started the violence and caused the harm, possibly via punches leading to a fall on debris, without needing weapon proof. The defence maintained self-defence, challenged the victim's account, stressed multiple participants, and noted glass fragments as a likely wound source, insisting no evidence tied the defendant to it.