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Summary 7 1/2 year prison for noise pollution may be too harsh for a pianist who practised at home.
The Spanish prosecutors office for the northeastern region of Catalonia said in a statement released that it was studying a request for a partial pardon for 26-year-old Laia Martin, a professional musician, given that a prison sentence could be considered overly stringent.The office had recommended prison earlier in the week after a neighbor referred to as Sonia B. in the prosecutors statement said noise contamination from Martins five-days-a-week, eight-hour practice sessions had left her with psychological damage, subjected her to great stress and even temporarily forced her to move out.Martin told reporters gathered outside her house that the neighbor was exaggerating. No musician, however serious, practiced eight hours a day, she said.Marc Molins, the musicians defense lawyer, said the penalty originally sought by prosecutors should be reserved for very serious and offensive conduct.The prosecutors office had also originally demanded Martin be banned for four years from any profession that uses a piano. --AP
