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A court in Seville province has sentenced José Rafael G. M. to three years and six months in prison after he admitted setting fire to Las Postas Café-Bar in Los Palacios y Villafranca on 20 August 2025. He became angry when staff could not provide mayonnaise for his sandwich, left to buy petrol, returned with a 1.5-litre plastic bottle and ignited fuel poured over the counter. Customers, including children, fled and two workers suffered minor injuries. The sentence, approved on 21 October 2026, was reduced after his guilty plea and a payment of more than €9,200 toward civil damages. It also keeps him at least 500 metres from the café for 10 years and imposes €360 in fines for two minor assault offenses involving the injured employees.

What happened at the Spanish café?

The incident began as a dispute over a sandwich condiment at Las Postas Café-Bar in Los Palacios y Villafranca, a municipality in Seville province. Owner José Antonio Caballero said the customer asked for mayonnaise, but the waiter refused because the bar did not stock it. “He asked for mayonnaise and the waiter told him no, because we don’t have any,” Caballero told reporters.

Caballero explained that Las Postas primarily serves breakfast and, later in the day, drinks, coffee and occasional ready-made sandwiches. The premises had no kitchen and did not keep sauces. “The bar didn’t have a kitchen and the sandwiches came ready-prepared. We didn’t have sauces,” he said.

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After leaving the bar, José Rafael bought fuel at a nearby petrol station. He returned carrying a plastic bottle reported as holding 1.5 litres, poured petrol over the counter and set it alight. People inside ran out, including children. Two workers were injured slightly during the incident and later became the subjects of the assault-related fines included in the sentence.

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Caballero described the consequences in stark terms: “There’s no explanation. It was awful.”

How did the court sentence him?

The Seville court approved a plea agreement on 21 October 2026. The prosecution had initially sought 11 years for the fire offense. That request was reduced after José Rafael admitted guilt and deposited more than €9,200 toward civil damages; one report specifies compensation of €9,245.

The resulting prison term is three years and six months. Reports also say he had already spent more than a year in provisional custody, although the available accounts do not set out how that time will be credited in the final calculation.

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Additional penalties

  • Exclusion order: He may not come within 500 metres of Las Postas Café-Bar for 10 years.
  • Fines: He must pay €360 connected with two minor assault offenses involving the injured workers.
  • Compensation: More than €9,200 was deposited toward civil damages, with €9,245 reported in one account.

The reports identify the conduct as a fire offense but do not reproduce the full judgment or name the exact article of Spain’s criminal code. The sentence details above therefore describe the court outcome without assigning a statutory section that has not been published in the available accounts.

Why was the prison term lower than the prosecution’s original request?

The 11-year request was not the final sentence. In plea negotiations, an admission of guilt can avoid a contested trial and may be considered alongside efforts to compensate victims. Here, the court approved a three-and-a-half-year term after José Rafael acknowledged responsibility and put money toward the café’s civil losses. The reduction does not erase the danger of the act: petrol was deliberately carried back into a customer-filled premises and ignited at the service counter.

Were customers and staff hurt?

Customers escaped the burning café, and reports specifically note that children were among those who fled. Two employees sustained minor injuries. The €360 in fines relates to two minor assault offenses involving those workers; the reports do not provide a separate medical account or identify any serious injury.

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The available reporting also does not establish the total repair bill, the café’s reopening date or whether every damaged fixture was replaced. Those details should not be inferred from the sentence or the compensation deposit.

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Did a mayonnaise company pay for the repairs?

Weeks after the fire, Hellmann’s was reported to have offered help with repair costs. The available reports do not establish the final amount paid, whether the offer was accepted in full or whether all repairs were completed. The company’s reported involvement is therefore best understood as an offer of assistance, not a confirmed account of completed restoration.

What does this case show about escalation?

The sequence is unusually clear: a request for mayonnaise was refused; the customer left the premises; he obtained petrol; he returned with a container; and he set the counter alight while other people were present. The court case consequently involved far more than a service complaint. It addressed deliberate use of an accelerant, the risk to customers and employees, physical injuries and property damage.

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The 500-metre, 10-year restriction is separate from the prison term. It is designed to keep him away from the café after release and applies for a decade from the order, subject to the judgment’s enforcement terms.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When did the café fire happen?

The fire occurred on 20 August 2025 at Las Postas Café-Bar in Los Palacios y Villafranca, in Seville province, Spain.

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How much compensation did the man pay?

Reports say he deposited more than €9,200 toward civil damages. One account gives the figure as €9,245.

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How far must he stay from the café?

The court imposed a 500-metre exclusion zone around Las Postas Café-Bar for 10 years.

Was anyone seriously injured in the fire?

Two workers suffered minor injuries, and customers—including children—fled. Available reports do not describe any serious injury.

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