Europe News

Spanish man released after 11 months on false domestic abuse charge

Jun 1, 2009, 9:46 GMT

Madrid - A Spanish man spent 11 months in prison after being falsely accused of domestic violence by his former wife, who became a minor celebrity after going public with the details, press reports said Monday.

A Seville court has now shelved the case against Jose Antonio Santos, 39, who was released from jail in April 2008.

Raquel Valle regularly repeated her story of 13 years of marital hell and violence at the hands of the father of her two children in regional television and newspapers interviews.

It turned out, however, that many of the 'attacks' had allegedly taken place when the man was not around. Valle is believed to have caused her own knife wounds and other injuries.

Santos has described himself as a 'victim' who had been let down by the judicial system.

Domestic violence is as a serious problem in Spain, where 74 women were killed by their husbands or partners in 2008.