Francisco del Valle, the brother of the man accused of murdering five year old Mari Luz Cortes, is not having an easy time at the moment and has become the target of local anger and frustration.
On Monday night, a crowd of around 100 to 150 people went to his house in El Torrejon, Huelva, and began hurling stones and other objects. The police intervened before the mob could break down the door.
Francisco del Valle is now asking the authorities for assistance in moving to a ‘safe’ location, somewhere outside the province of Huelva. He is asking the Junta de Andalucía to provide himself and his three children, aged 3 years, 10 years and 17 years, with temporary accommodation until they can make other arrangements. Francisco says that the recent events are having a traumatic effect on his family.
The local authorities have pleaded for calm, emphasing that Francisco del Valle has been fully cooperative with the police during the investigation and does not deserve the treatment he has been receiving.
Del Valle denounced the events of Monday night but no arrests have been made. Police have, however, been maintaining constant surveillance of the house to prevent any further incidents.
Juan José Cortes, father of the murdered girl, has stated that he was unaware of the incident until the next day, adding that was obviously borne out of anger and resentment. He said that although he was able to control his own anger, there were those who obviously could not. He expressed a wish for a speedy resolution to the situation.