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In the fifth Section of the Provincial Court of Pontevedra, based in Vigo, proceedings resumed yesterday in the trial of two defendants accused of raping an 18-year-old woman they had met at a city nightclub. The young woman had been under the influence of alcohol. After the two men testified behind closed doors last week, the victim, a police officer, a forensic doctor, and the taxi driver who picked up the young woman at her Torrecedeira apartment following the events testified. Yesterday’s session, also held behind closed doors, featured the expert witnesses from the forensic team, which includes a psychologist, a psychiatrist, and a social worker.

Following the professionals’ testimonies, the reading of the conclusions took place. The Public Prosecutor maintains the request for the maximum penalty provided by the Penal Code in this case: fifteen years of prison for each offender, who were 33 and 19 years old at the time of the acts, along with ten years of supervised freedom and a ban on any contact with the victim for 25 years.

The defense teams, meanwhile, reiterate the demand for full acquittal and, in the alternative, the application of the standard type rather than the aggravated one. They argue that there was no proven vulnerability, nor did the circumstances of the event, nor the victim’s state of intoxication justify an aggravated charge. After yesterday’s session, they anticipate the tribunal will issue a ruling within about a month.

The assault traces back to December 2021, when the two defendants met the young woman at a nightclub after she had drifted away from her group of friends. Conversation began, and, taking advantage of the victim’s impaired condition due to alcohol and the drugs consumed, the men persuaded her to go to a residence to continue their evening.

Once inside, one of the men guided the young woman into a private room. After she repeatedly expressed firm refusals, he subjected her to unwanted touching and eventually raped her. Moments later, the other man entered the room and also assaulted her. After the incident, the woman was taken to a taxi stand, where she boarded a vehicle that brought her back to her home.