The Audiencia de Las Palmas has issued a sentence against a 38-year-old man who admitted to having harassed a psychiatric patient in a video uploaded to the social network TikTok on November 1, 2023. The prosecution has reduced its initial penalty request to 15 months and one day of imprisonment.

The accused mocked the victim, who suffered from paranoid schizophrenia with a recognized disability of 78%, while wearing the uniform of the Canary Islands Health Service. The defendant urged the patient to imitate animal sounds, instructions which the patient followed.

The video, which received 266 likes and was viewed 16,000 times, was removed from the platform as a precautionary measure. The prosecution amended its indictment to request a penalty of 15 months and one day for a crime against moral integrity, in addition to a disqualification of 3 years and one day.

Additionally, the convicted individual has been urged to participate in a program for equal treatment and non-discrimination. The sentence also reduces the compensation he must pay to the victim's three siblings from 6,000 to 4,000 euros.

The convicted man, who currently receives unemployment benefits, has committed to paying the compensation at a rate of 170 euros per month. The magistrate warned him that non-payment could lead to the application of the custodial sentence, pending a review of his criminal record.