In September 2019, a Spanish court gave Tougane a suspended sentence. Having reoffended, he will spend three months in prison.
Rabat – A Spanish court in the city of Valencia sentenced yesterday, September 17, Moroccan athlete Jaouad Tougane to three months in prison for repeated theft. The athlete has been arrested many times for theft, the last arrest was made by Spanish police last Monday, September 16, according to Spanish newspaper Las Provincias.
The athlete had accumulated a number of arrests and complaints for robbery, since June 2019. On September 11, a Spanish court handed Tougane a suspended sentence, on the condition that he did not reoffend. Tougane has since been arrested again for the same crime.
On the day of his arrest, he was caught in the act of stealing at a shopping center in Benimaclet, near Valencia. However, since the value of what he tried to steal didn’t exceed €400, security guards only took notes of his personal information before releasing him. A few hours later, police arrested him in a different shopping center.
A security agent of the center detained the athlete for stealing a robot vacuum cleaner and two ‘walkies-talkies’, valued at €430. Tougane stole the devices on Sunday, September 15, after outwitting security systems, but his escape was recorded by a security camera. When he returned to the shopping center the next day, Tougane was recognized and arrested by the guard.
Police also charged the athlete for stealing from his interpreter’s car at the previous court hearing. Immediately after being given a suspended sentence on September 11, the Moroccan athlete stole a laptop, a cassette, and glasses from his interpreter’s car.
In an interview with Las Provincias, the athlete acknowledged that he uses drugs and asked for help to beat his addiction. He also said he was going to stop stealing. Police suspect Tougane steals merchandise to sell for a lower value in order to buy drugs.
In July, Playas de Castellon Athletics Club expelled Tougane following his arrests.
Born in Morocco, the 27-year-old athlete has lived in Spain since his childhood. He participated in many athletics competitions. Tougane was the champion of Valencia’s Marathon in 2018. He also participated with Morocco’s national athletics team in the 5000m competitions at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
