The Knucklehead of the Day Carnival Part Seven

Our Seventh winner is Spain's National Court Judge Juan Del Olmo. He gets the award for an oversight that led to a terrorist indicted for the Madrid bombings being released.

The Spanish people are not too happy with this development and rightly so. A mass murderer has been set free. Judge Del Olmo is in hot water. A clerk tried to come forward and take part of the blame but the Judge excused this saying the clerk was overworked. So the Judge is taking the responsibility for this judicial blunder. He can also take our seventh Knucklehead of the Day award while he's at it.

Open Post- Jo's Cafe, Cao's Blog,

MADRID, Spain (AP) - A court clerk said he was partly to blame for an oversight that led to the release of an indicted suspect in the Madrid train bombings, court officials said Wednesday.

Moroccan Saed el Harrak was allowed to go free last week after authorities failed to apply for permission to extend his stay in jail due to an oversight. The error triggered calls for the judge handling the investigation to be punished.

In a letter to the General Council of the Judiciary, a body that oversees the Spanish court, clerk Luis Martin Velasco said he failed to catch a typographical error made by National Court Judge Juan Del Olmo in a court document that led to the release.

Velasco defended Del Olmo as a tireless worker subjected to tremendous pressure from the media and others.

"It would be unfair to attribute (to) Judge Del Olmo, beyond a typographical error, a lack of vigilance or a lack of zeal in his work, all the more since his work has been characterized by an outstanding, meticulous and sacrificed dedication,'' Velasco wrote in the four-page letter.

Velasco cited sleepless nights, long shifts and family sacrifice as reasons for the oversight.

The Spanish judicial watchdog said Tuesday that Olmo should be held accountable for "very serious negligence'' that could lead to a punishment ranging from a one-month suspension to outright dismissal. A disciplinary hearing is scheduled for June 7.

El Harrak was among 29 people indicted in April in the March 11, 2004, train bombings that killed 191 people and wounded more than 1,700. He is charged with collaborating with the Islamic militant cell that carried out the attack and faces a sentence of 10 years in prison if convicted.

El Harrak was arrested on May 6, 2004. Under Spanish law, a judge must request an extension to keep a suspect in custody beyond two years. But del Olmo neglected to do so, and on May 10 el Harrak was released.

Cross posted to Bullwinkle Blog