Elderly Brit Assaulted By Drunken Neighbour In Malaga

A recent dispute with a neighbour escalated to life-threatening violence leaving an elderly man with multiple injuries.

On August 12, in La Viñuela, Malaga, British retiree David James, aged 80, faced a harrowing ordeal when he tried to prevent his inebriated neighbour, a man in his 70s, from driving, according to Metro.

A Desperate Attempt To Prevent a Tragedy

The alleged perpetrator, whose identity remains protected under Spanish law, was ‘visibly highly intoxicated’ as he emerged from his residence, clutching his car keys, recounted David. In a bid to prevent a potential accident, David, along with another local, obstructed the road to deter the man, a former English councillor, from driving in his drunken state. The man’s response was aggressive; he sped up and down the street, sounding his horn incessantly.

David, a grandfather of five and an ex-police officer and Royal Navy commando told the media source: ‘I then heard his engine rev and I knew what was going to happen. He came at me at full speed and knocked me against the wall. I smashed my head and I thought I was a goner, but somehow I was still conscious. Then he reversed over me, before running me over for a third time, this time on my arm, before reversing over me one more time. It was like something out of a Hollywood movie.’

A History Of Hostility

After the assault, locals managed to drag David to safety within his property. However, the assailant didn’t stop there; he allegedly crashed into David’s gate and attempted to harm the elderly man further using a pole.

Following the incident, David was hospitalised until the subsequent Tuesday, August 22. The aftermath was horrifying. David lost all his teeth, sustained fractures to his pelvis, ribs, and multiple facial bones, and was left with extensive bruising.

Authorities have since detained the attacker, who now faces accusations of attempted homicide and injuring three other individuals. He remains in custody, awaiting his court hearing. This isn’t the first time the man has caused disturbances; residents have labelled him as ‘the neighbour from hell’, claiming his disruptive behaviour has plagued their community for a decade.

Around one and a half years prior, David had reported an incident to the police where this very neighbour allegedly threatened him with an axe. The matter was resolved outside of court, primarily because David’s family was coping with his wife’s recent cancer diagnosis.

David poignantly remarked: ‘I told them he was going to kill somebody one day, although I didn’t know that person would almost be me.’