The Ajuntament de Lleida is preparing to challenge in court the release of a man suspected of involvement in a series of burglaries and arsons in the Horta district during 2024. The municipal government is reviewing the judicial decision with its legal team to determine if a formal appeal is possible under current law.

The suspect was recently freed pending trial, a move that has reignited public concern in Horta, where residents endured a wave of break-ins and deliberate fires starting in late 2024. Two men were arrested in connection with the crimes, one of whom remains in pre-trial detention while the other has been released.

According to local outlet La Ciutat, the decision has caused alarm among both city officials and residents, many of whom formed the grassroots group Horta Segura to demand stronger security measures during the height of the incidents.

Repeat Offending Raises Alarm

Mayor Fèlix Larrosa, of the PSC, has repeatedly highlighted the issue of criminal recidivism as a top security concern. In a September 2024 statement, he revealed that one individual had been detained 43 times by Lleida’s Guàrdia Urbana without being imprisoned, prompting him to call for stronger judicial action.

In that case, the man had prior arrests for robbery, assault on officers, drug trafficking, and gender-based violence. Only one of 32 people detained over a 15-day period in August 2024 was ultimately jailed, according to La Vanguardia.

"How can the Guàrdia Urbana in Lleida have detained the same person 43 times and they remain free?"

, Fèlix Larrosa, Mayor of Lleida

Larrosa has since called for greater coordination between local, regional, and judicial authorities to address repeat offending, which he says undermines public trust and community safety.

The city’s legal services are currently assessing the scope of the judicial ruling to identify any legal grounds for appeal. While the council has no direct authority over judicial decisions, it may pursue action if procedural or legal inconsistencies are found.

The case follows broader regional efforts to combat recidivism, including Barcelona’s municipal anti-recidivism plan and the SIRAJ monitoring system in the Sarrià-Sant Gervasi district.

Primary sources: Ramon, Ajuntament de Barcelona, ajuntament.barcelona.cat. Reported by Redacció, Tatiana Fernández, María Riera, lavanguardia.com, Mercè March, segre.com, Redacción, Exa, dretscivils.paeria.cat, APD Noticies.