Eleuterio Sánchez Rodríguez

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Eleuterio Sánchez Rodríguez (born April 15, 1942 in Salamanca ), called El Lute , is a former Spanish thief and escapee and today's lawyer and author.

Life

El Lute, who came from a very poor background, belonged to the Spanish minority of the Mercheros (traditionally known as Quinqui ). In 1965, 23-year-old El Lute and accomplices committed his first theft. The theft from a jeweler in Madrid failed, a security guard was shot dead by an accomplice, an eight-year-old girl was fatally injured in the course of police persecution, and the thieves were arrested by the police. All thieves were sentenced to death for the murder committed while stealing. General Franco changed the death sentence against El Lute, who insisted on his innocence, to life imprisonment. During the transport to the prison El Lute managed to jump off the moving train. However, he was arrested again and sent to prison. There he taught himself to read and write by himself. He was allowed to work in the prison's carpet weaving shop. In doing so, he managed to steal a piece of thread every day . After a few years he had made a rope in the cell. He escaped from prison again in 1971. In total, El Lute committed over 110 thefts in over 12 Spanish provinces.

El Lute was an opponent of Franco and took part in protests against the dictator. He became a national hero because of the unpopularity of the police in the Franco state through his outbursts, in which he almost always kept the entire Spanish police on their toes. After Franco's death in 1975, El Lute was finally pardoned in June 1981. Many sociologists , journalists and publishers were now interested in El Lute and the story of his life. As a result, several biographies and films were made about him. El Lute himself wrote four books, one of which is his memoir ; he works as a lawyer.

In 1999 El Lute received the offer to shoot a commercial for 5 million pesetas (approx. 30,000 euros). However, he declined the offer because he was supposed to fail in the commercial with the attempt to crack a safe and thus advertise the quality of the safe .

Movies

  • Vicente Aranda : El Lute I - camina o revienta. 1987.
  • Vicente Aranda: El Lute II - mañana seré libre. 1988.

Songs

The group Boney M. published in 1979 the English sung song El Lute , which tells the story of the Spaniard. Various German-language cover versions followed , by Michael Holm , Roland Kaiser and Jonny Hill .

Works

  • Camina o revienta. Memorias de "El Lute" . Cuadernos para el Diálogo, 1977.
  • Mañana seré libre . Bruguera, 1979.
  • Una pluma entre rejas . Bruguera, 1981.
  • Entre Sombras Y Silencios . Lectorum Pubns, 1983.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Dieter E. Zimmer : El Lute and reality in: The time of February 29, 1980. Retrieved on July 5, 2011.
  2. ↑ Spain Pardons Eleuterio Sanchez, The Murderer Known as El Lute in: New York Times, June 21, 1981. Retrieved July 5, 2011.
  3. ↑ Volker Mauersberger : El Lute - run or lose! in: Die Zeit des December 8, 1978. Retrieved July 5, 2011.
personal data
SURNAME Sánchez Rodríguez, Eleuterio
ALTERNATIVE NAMES El Lute
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Spanish thief, escapee, lawyer and author
DATE OF BIRTH April 15, 1942
PLACE OF BIRTH Salamanca