Man accepts three and a half years jail for setting fire to bar after being told there was no mayonnaise

A man who set fire to the bar counter of a venue in the Seville municipality of Los Palacios y Villafranca after being told there was no mayonnaise or ketchup for his sandwich has accepted a sentence of three and a half years in prison.

The incident occurred at the Las Postas bar on Avenida de Cádiz. Appearing before the Third Section of the Provincial Court of Seville, the defendant confessed to dousing the bar counter with petrol from a plastic bottle after staff informed him they did not serve condiments. He carried out the attack despite knowing the establishment was packed with customers at the time.

Following his full admission of guilt, prosecutors reduced their initial request of an 11-year prison sentence down to three and a half years.

Early compensation secures sentence reduction

The prosecutor's agreement to lower the requested prison sentence was reached after the defendant paid 9,245 euros in civil liability compensation to cover all physical damages prior to the trial.

Court officials applied a mitigating circumstance for financial reparation, allowing the arson charge to be downgraded to a lesser offense.

The defendant also accepted two small fines of just over 76 euros each for two minor counts of bodily harm involving minor injuries suffered by two waiters on duty.

The bar owner, José Antonio Caballero, recalled that the customer initially appeared calm when told there were no sauces available. "He asked for mayonnaise and the waiter said we didn't have any," Caballero explained. "We are primarily a breakfast bar that serves coffee and drinks, with a few small rolls available if people are hungry, but little else."