Altea councillor resigns after being accused of slapping his partner

Rafael Ramón Mompó, a Compromís councillor at the Altea town hall, quit his job yesterday, Tuesday March 17th, after being arrested on Sunday for slapping his girlfriend and hurting her slightly.

The municipal council has said that the mayor, Diego Zaragozí, who is also a member of Compromís and runs the council with the PSPV-PSOE, has accepted the resignation of the councillor in charge of Legal Services, Contracting, and Heritage.

The local administration team said in the statement that they “strongly and clearly condemn any form of violence, especially against women, and that they are fully committed to defending equality and the dignity of all people.”

Ramón Mompó had never abused the victim before. He was detained last Sunday night at 9 p.m. at a property in the nearby town of Xàbia, where the couple owns a home and where the events are said to have taken place.

Early on Monday, the Mayor of Altea said that he was temporarily giving up his delegated powers, and his political party, Compromís, terminated his membership.

He was held in the cells of the Guardia Civil, but at noon on Monday, he was released with charges of mistreatment with injuries and minor coercion. He was then sent to the court of the Plaza number of Violence on Women of the Court of First Instance of Dénia.

The Valencian High Court of Justice said that the court did not issue a protection order because neither party asked for one and the court did not think the requirements were met. The victim took advantage of the right not to testify and did not confirm the complaint.

In any event, the Dénia court has moved the matter to the Criminal Section of the Benidorm Court of First Instance so that there can be a quick trial, which legal sources say will happen in the next few weeks.

This will happen because the victim and spouse have the right not to testify, but the procedures contain a report of injuries that is an objective element not tied to the testimony. This is why the prosecution is asking for the proceedings to continue.

So, in the next few days, between two weeks and a month, the fast-track trial should take place in the Benidorm courts for the alleged offences of physical abuse with injuries and small coercion, which are covered by article 153 of the Penal Code on gender violence.