THE killing of a farmer by a group of civil guards whose help he had sought after a traffic accident has left Spain in shock.

Juan Martínez Galdeano, 39, was allegedly beaten to death at the gates of the civil guard barracks in the centre of Roquetas de Mar, a large commercial and tourist seaside town in the southeast province of Almeria.

A post-mortem examination showed that Señor Martínez Galdeano died from suffocation and had suffered a fractured sternum, a broken rib, bleeding lungs, 14 savage baton blows to the head — which had caused haemorrhaging — 29 blows to the throat, 21 blows to the arms, 22 blows to the legs and eight burns to the lumbar region caused by an illegal electric prod.

Señor Martínez Galdeano had gone to the barracks to report another driver for causing an accident and was next seen running out pursued by the civil guards. They claim that he was physically abusive and that they had to restrain him with cuffs to his wrists and ankles. He refused to be breathalysed and the cuffs were removed to take him for a blood test, which is when, the guards say, he tried to run away.

José Bono, the Minister of Defence, has ordered the suspension of a lieutenant and six civil guards — one a woman — under his command who were involved in the death of the burly farmer. An official inquiry is to be held and the guards face charges of involuntary homicide and up to 15 years in jail.

The death of Señor Martínez Galdeano, married with a son, has raised the spectre of a sinister past that Spain is trying to forget. The civil guard, famed for its bottle-green uniforms and ceremonial patent leather tricorn hats, was formed in the 19th century to combat brigands in rural areas. It gained a chilling reputation during the 40 years of General Franco’s dictatorship.

Señor Martínez Galdeano’s funeral in Roquetas was attended by 200 people. Dávila, his Moroccan-born wife, fainted as his coffin was put in a cemetery niche.

A large group of mourners held a minute’s silence in front of the town hall and then a noisy protest in front of the civil guard barracks. Flowers had been placed at the gates of the elegant, tree-shaded building, where the Spanish flag flew defiantly at full mast. No guards were in sight.

A waitress at a nearby café claims to have seen the attack at about 5pm on July 24. “He was on the ground and the guards were kicking and punching him,” she said. “It went on for a long time. The woman was the first to start hitting him. They say he died of a heart attack, but it was the lynching.

“After a long time one of those who had been hitting him pushed his chest to try and revive him. The ambulance arrived well after the beating but they could not do anything.”

The lieutenant, who was in charge of the barracks, is already accused of extreme violence against another detainee.

The death of Señor Martínez Galdeano recalls another incident in Almeria, in May 1981, when civil guards tortured, shot and killed three innocent young Spanish holidaymakers. The guards claimed that they thought the men were Eta terrorists.

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