PROMOTER SENTENCED TO FOUR YEARS IN PRISON OVER STEVE AOKI GIG DEATHS

Miguel Ángel Flores, the head promoter of the Steve Aoki show at the Madrid Arena where five people died in 2012, has been sentenced to four years in prison.

Flores and seven others involved in the gig were convicted of gross negligence, manslaughter and 29 counts of criminal injury, while another seven defendants, including medics, security staff and Madrid’s former chief of police, were cleared of all charges, according to Spanish newspaper El Mundo.

Judges at a court in Madrid ruled the venue had been deliberately oversold by almost 6,000 tickets. Flores, head promoter of Thriller Music Park who were behind the gig, was given the maximum penalty for his part in the deaths, which saw five women – Katia Esteban, Cristina Arce, Rocío Oña, Belén Langdom and María Teresa Alonso – killed in a stampede after a flare was set off.

A witness reportedly claimed at the time that a human bottleneck was caused because several fire exits were said to be closed. It was also reported at the time that it took emergency services three hours to clear the venue.

Flores’ conviction states he must cease all professional activity in regards to organising or hosting events. His Madrid club, Macumba, was planned to reopen following the tragedy on 14th October.

Rob McCallum is DJ Mag’s deputy digital editor. Follow him on Twitter here.