DEPUTY MAYOR ATTACKED IN ORIHUELA RESTAURANT

Lopez Bas and Mancebo

Orihuela Councillors Pedro Mancebo, Juan Ignacio Lopez-Bas and Marta Campillo, all of the CLR Party, have filed a complaint against the brother of the former Orihuela Mayor, Monica Lorente (PP), who they accuse of verbally and physically abusing them over dinner in a restaurant over the weekend.

Meanwhile, the brother himself, Jorge Lorente has said to the local Spanish press that he has also denounced Mancebo for insults, threats and causing him injury to a hand.

The incident occurred about midnight on Saturday when the three councillors, all from the Liberal Renewal Center (CLr) dined at the Orihuela restaurant "Lo Mas Gus". Mancebo said on Monday that the brother of the former mayor, together with another man, Jose Manuel Vivancos, began to provoke, disturb and harangue his group while they were having a conversation in the company of others. Lopez-Bas said the insults were "s**t councilors" or "sons of b*****s".

Mancebo and his party decided to leave the premises, but the brother of the former mayor "grabbed my neck and threw me against a wall," he said.

According to reports, several diners who were in the bar stood between the mayor and Lorente to separate them, and as Cllr Mancebo then reached for a phone, intending to call the police, the man accompanying Lorente "pushed him out of the establishment" , added Lopez-Bas.

As the struggle continued in the streets outside the restaurant he and Marta Campillo tried to stop the violence during which both "received several blows."

The scene was attended by two units of the National Police and one of the Policia Locale, at which point, according to Lopez-Bas "Monica Lorente's brother ran off and disappeared into the side streets."

The man accompanying Jorge Lorente was not in possession of any form of identity so he was taken to a local police station for identification, after which he was released.

Following the incident, Mancebo attended a Health Center, where, according to the Spanish press, he was diagnosed with "a bruise on the back of the head and inner lip." On Sunday Marta Campillo also went to hospital complaining of severe pain in one of the hands preventing normal movement.

Although the three councillors tried to lodge a complaint with the National Police, officers were unable to process the necessary documentation as the computer system was not working , so they returned on Sunday to make the obligatory denuncia.

Meanwhile, the brother of former mayor said on Monday that he will also be denouncing Cllr Mancebo for alleged insults and threats that prompted the incident. He said that he had suffered a fracture to one of his fingers.

Lorente said that Mancebo was extremely ‘arrogant’. Vivancos told the press that Mancebo said that he was “the head of Orihuela, that he commanded the police and that he was going to make my life miserable.”
He too says that he will denounce Mancebo for alleged threats