Spanish court acquits two defendants of trying to sell four stolen tyres online

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While the perpetrators of the crime remain unknown, the victim believed that the tyres he found on the Wallapop platform a few days after the robbery were his, which led to the arrest of the vendors

AN

Thursday, 2 April 2026, 10:10

The provincial court of Toledo in Spain has acquitted two defendants sentenced to seven months in prison for trying to sell stolen car tyres on online platform Wallapop.

The tyres belonged to a Mercedes and the date of the robbery was 14 August 2020. The perpetrators remain unknown. The value of the stolen tyres, recovered in good condition, amounted to 1,200 euros, although the cost of repairing the damage to the vehicle as a result of the theft was estimated at 4,826.50 euros.

According to the court ruling, on 2 September 2020, the victim came across an advertisement on the Wallapop website. Given that his tyres were a limited edition and very difficult to obtain, he suspected that they were his, so he contacted the police.

The investigators set up a sting operation to locate the tyres. The victim pretended he wanted to buy them. The police arrested two people on 11 September at the location where they had arranged to meet with the victim. He recognised the tyres and recovered them with the help of the police.

In June 2025, the court sentenced the suspects to seven months in prison for receiving stolen goods. The defendants appealed that sentence on two grounds. First, they alleged a violation of the presumption of innocence because it was not proven that the tyres they sold were the same as those stolen. Second, they alleged a procedural violation, arguing that the modification of the charges, with the introduction of an alternative charge accepted by the lower court judge and presented by the prosecution during the hearing, had infringed their right to a defence.

The provincial court ruled that the judge violated the right to a fair trial by introducing new facts not formally presented by the prosecution. While the prosecutor only changed the legal definition, the judge wrongly added that the defendants knew the wheels were stolen. Consequently, the conviction was overturned and the defendants were acquitted.

The sentence is not final and can be appealed to the Supreme Court.