A man who broke into a closed petrol station and stole just £1.30 from a cash register has been handed a prison sentence of more than three years. The incident took place in the early hours of October 21, 2024, in the southern Spanish city of Huelva. According to court findings, the man targeted a petrol station on Avenida Cristóbal Colón while it was shut to the public, forcing his way inside shortly after 2.30am.
Prosecutors told the court that the defendant gained entry by prising open a window, causing damage to the premises. Once inside, he interfered with equipment at the counter area, including a computer and a cash register that was not in normal operation at the time. From the register, he took €1.48 — the equivalent of around £1.30.
Despite the negligible value of the theft, the authorities treated the offence as a robbery with force rather than a minor act of shoplifting, due to the method of entry and damage caused. The man was arrested shortly after leaving the scene and returned the money he had taken. The petrol station itself did not seek financial compensation and confirmed that no further losses were incurred.
However, when the case came before Criminal Court No. 2 in Huelva, judges took a broader view of the defendant’s criminal history. The court heard that the man was a repeat offender with previous convictions for burglaries involving both private homes and commercial premises. This pattern of offending played a decisive role in the sentence imposed.
In its ruling, the court concluded that a custodial sentence was unavoidable. The judge sentenced the man to three years and one day in prison, a term that cannot be suspended under Spanish law when certain thresholds are crossed and when prior convictions are taken into account.
Under Spanish law, the additional “one day” beyond three years is significant, as it places the sentence into a higher category, limiting the defendant’s ability to seek alternatives such as probation.
First-time offenders with sentences of up to three years may be eligible for early parole after serving half their sentence, provided they meet specific criteria like good behavior and classification in the « third stage ».
Prosecutors have also indicated that they are appealing aspects of the ruling to ensure the aggravating circumstance of repeat offending is fully upheld.
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