http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/ma.../26/wrape26.xml

Mother sets fire to her daughter's gloating rapist
By Peter Upton in Alicante
(Filed: 26/06/2005)

A Spanish mother has taken revenge on the man who raped her 13-year-old daughter at knifepoint by dousing him in petrol and setting him alight. He died of his injuries in hospital on Friday.

Antonio Cosme Velasco Soriano, 69, had been sent to jail for nine years in 1998, but was let out on a three-day pass and returned to his home town of Benejúzar, 30 miles south of Alicante, on the Costa Blanca.

While there, he passed his victim's mother in the street and allegedly taunted her about the attack. He is said to have called out "How's your daughter?", before heading into a crowded bar.

Shortly after, the woman walked into the bar, poured a bottle of petrol over Soriano and lit a match. She watched as the flames engulfed him, before walking out.

The woman fled to Alicante, where she was arrested the same evening. When she appeared in court the next day in the town of Orihuela, she was cheered and clapped by a crowd, who shouted "Bravo!" and "Well done!"

A judge ordered her to be held in prison and undergo psychiatric tests, provoking anger from friends and neighbours, who have set up a petition calling for her release.

Soriano suffered 60 per cent burns in the attack on June 13 and was airlifted to a specialist unit. He survived for 11 days before succumbing to his injuries.

It is understood that the woman, who cannot be named because of laws safeguarding the identity of rape victims, claims to have no recollection of the attack which took place in the Bar Mary, just 300 yards from the family home.

As decorators painted over the blackened walls of his bar last week, Antonio Ferrendez Lopez told how Soriano had walked in at lunchtime.

"The place was packed with people eating. I was sitting at a table and Soriano was standing at the bar very close to me when the woman walked in," he said. "She didn't acknowledge anyone but walked up to Soriano, who was drinking a coffee, put her hand on his shoulder and turned him round to face her.

"Then she pulled the bottle she was carrying from under her arm and began to tip it over him. At first I didn't realise what was happening, but then I smelt the petrol. I jumped up and tried to grab her, but when she struck a match I got clear.

"The petrol was in a pool around Soriano, and she threw the match into it. It ignited with a whoosh, and he screamed and staggered about covered in flames. As people rushed outside to escape the flames, she just looked at him, then turned and walked away."

Customers helped Mr Lopez put out the fire with extinguishers and doused Soriano with water until paramedics arrived.

Soriano's attack on the woman's teenage daughter took place in 1998. The girl was going to buy a loaf of bread when Soriano snatched her from the street, threatened her with a knife and raped her. Her mother is said to have suffered mental illness ever since.

Soriano was convicted of the rape and ordered to serve 13 years in jail. The sentence was later reduced to nine years on appeal.

The woman's lawyer, Joaquín Galant, told The Sunday Telegraph last night: "The family has suffered a double tragedy. First the attack on their daughter and now this. Both the father and his daughter would like to express their sadness at the death of Soriano."

Earlier, Mr Galant said that the woman did not deserve to be kept in prison. "For seven years she has been deeply affected by what was done to her daughter," he said. "This man, fresh from prison and asking how her daughter was, might be considered to have provoked her."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

That is beyond awesome.

way to go mom!!

Yeah! Now your raped daughter gets to grow up without a mother!

Way to almost kill several others and burn down a someone's establishment. Throw her in jail too.

Bigger question is why is a rapist allowed a 3 day pass???

It isn't worth it. Does anyone remember Ellie Nestler? Look how great her life and that of her kids turned out.

Even if it was done for the right reason, the after effect is never good.

it doesnt sound like she'll be put away for too long, at least not in prison. some sort of institution sounds about right though

Earlier, Mr Galant said that the woman did not deserve to be kept in prison. "For seven years she has been deeply affected by what was done to her daughter," he said. "This man, fresh from prison and asking how her daughter was, might be considered to have provoked her."

The douche got what he deserved.

What do you think will benefit the girl most? Her mother in an institution, a flambéed offender, or the guilt of knowing that her mother killed a guy and endangered a building full of innocent people?

He didn't die for 11 days.

the only thing the girl will benefit from is knowing this guy cant hurt her again. obviously three years of jail did nothing to him if he taunts the girls mom when he gets out.

That's the best part of the story. She shouldn't have done it in the first place but since she did, I'm glad the fucker suffered for 11 days.

I didn't say the girl won't miss her mom. But I'm not shedding a tear for the the douchebag who remorselessly taunted her mother.

We don't know what the daughter needs. Maybe the daughter was never going to feel safe in this world with that guy living.

Having known a few people who were either raped as adults or molested as kids I think it is a tragedy that we don't have mandatory life sentence with no chance/hope for parole for offenders.

I hope that the daughters appreciation of her mother's intense love for her daughter outweighs any resentiment she might have for her mother being absent for a while....

I also hope that the judge has a little empathy toward the mom.


He got what he deserved.

WTF on the 3 day pass?

c-

That's great. Society decided he was paying his debt, but she didn't agree.

We should probably dismantle the courts and just let people's mothers doll out justice.

I agree. The mother clearly took the wrong action in burning him, but that doesn't mean he didn't deserve it.

If we all got what we deserved, this planet would just be an empty, seething hunk of molten rock.

[devils advocate]

we only have the mothers word that he taunted her.

amazing so many people believe in innocent until proven guilty when it is convienent

[/devils advocate]

This is true, but this guy's misdeeds are clearly on a different level than the average human level of debauchery.